The Cruel Standards of Buying an Apartment
by sistokid
Summary: SLASH. All Zack and Freddy need to do is move into the stupid apartment; what could possibly go wrong? Besides, of course, fires, comas, pretending to be gay, and supremely squishy beds. Freddy/Zack
1. Happy Birthday, Now GTFO

**So here's the first chapter of a mostly-written, rather long story I've had sitting around for a while. Flames will be pointed and laughed at, you silly homophobes you. Reviews would be lovely.**

**This is rated for language and future sexual activities. This is not rated for slash, because I don't rate based on orientation. That's just stupid.**

**I don't own School of Rock, or Zack or Freddy. Oh, the things they would do if I did.**

**However, I do own Zack's car and the horrid note from Freddy's parents. And, of course, the plot.**

**Enjoy.**

He couldn't believe it actually happened. Sure, there had been hints and implications and even full-fledged discussions, but he never really thought they were serious.

Freddy Jones had been officially and permanently kicked out of his house.

On his birthday.

The three suitcases and packed up drum set had probably been sitting outside for hours, just waiting on the porch for him to come home. The note taped on the door was the real kicker. His father's messy scribble basically told him that he was no longer a resident there, being eighteen. Everything in his room was transferred to the suitcases (except the furniture). Supposedly. But Freddy got the feeling that a few precious CD's and song sheets had been chucked in the fireplace out of spite, seeing his parents had been just _dying_ to do that for years.

The note also stated that some extra cash had ever-so-generously been added to his bank account. The given reason was so Freddy could easily get a new life started. The real reason was so Freddy wouldn't come running back home asking for money. A good amount had probably been added too, probably in the hundred thousands. Anything to make sure their son would never return.

The weirdest part was how okay Freddy was with it. His parents were drifting further and further away from him anyway. When was the last time they even had a stupid family dinner? Plus his mom had been a total bitch lately, about how her son was turning into some punk-rock wannabe, with all of the worn band shirts and beaten-up jeans. He still spiked his blonde hair, with the occasional band-oriented sweatband. And he couldn't even recall the last time he left the house without a pair of drumsticks shoved hastily in his back pocket.

Still trying to grasp the concept that he no longer lived anywhere, Freddy dug out his cell phone. He had a few options as to who to call. There was Katie, but he didn't really want to put up with her asshole of a boyfriend. Then there was Summer, but he was like ninety percent sure she was sleeping with Lawrence.

And then there was Zack.

Technically speaking, he and Zack were best friends. But not in the usual sense. They hung out enough, like maybe once a week. And they talked, but it wasn't like how you'd talk to your closest friend, with all that deep secret crap. It was just a normal friendship, nothing special or really all that close. But the thing is, they didn't have anyone closer.

Freddy knew enough about Zack. The guitarist, already eighteen, had a similar family life. Except, instead of being ignored, his father wouldn't leave Zack alone. It was always 'I'm-disappointed-in-you' this and 'you're-ruining-your-life' that. Freddy didn't get it. Zack was practically a second freaking Jimi Hendrix, but Mr. Mooneyham just didn't appreciate his son. And Zack, although seemingly okay, has had a few breakdowns because of it. The stuff that went on between them got nasty a few times, including shouts that could be heard down half the fricken block. And one time, probably one of the worst, Zack's favorite guitar had been chucked out a window by a steaming Mr. Mooneyham and smashed beyond repair on the driveway. It took two months for Zack to even look at his father again without getting the urge to stab him.

So Zack would understand Freddy's situation. Hell, out of all the people Freddy knew, Zack would be the most (and only) understanding one. But did Zack really need this added to his list of things to stress about?

Freddy didn't have much time to think it over as a scuffling of sneakers on concrete came from his left.

"Hey Freddy… what's with the bags?" And like some greater being decided for Freddy, Zack was there. Hands stuffed in the pockets of his semi-skinny jeans, kinda-too-small black band shirt making him seem even thinner. Freddy silently handed him the note, which Zack quickly scanned. "Christ, man… this for real?" Freddy only nodded in response, now looking down at his old blue converse. He focused on the graying shoelaces, the fading sharpie on the toe, the tattered sides, feeling Zack's gaze on him. "What're you gonna do, Freddy?"

"I got money in my bank account… they put more in too. So I'll probably just get an apartment or something…"

"What about college?" Zack asked. Freddy nearly forgot… they had graduated a week ago from high school, and college would start at the end of the summer…

"They already paid the tuition, so I'm good there. I just need to get a place cuz I'm not staying on campus. There are those newer apartments over by the university, I guess I could look into those."

"Those are all two-bedroom ones. The costs are usually split between two people cuz they aren't exactly cheap. Even with the extra cash, that's a hell of a rent for just you."

"I guess I could look into a roommate or something. There's bound to be some guys going to the university anyway needing a place to stay." Freddy said thoughtfully. He glanced at Zack, who was intently watching his front porch. It wasn't exactly the _strangest_ thing that the brunette was just wandering near his house. He only lived two blocks away, after all. But how often did he really come by for no reason whatsoever? Even when he was trying to escape his father for a while, he made it obvious why he was there. But now, Freddy had no idea. "Um, so what are you doing here, anyway?"

"Um, well… it's kinda funny…" Zack glanced around nervously. "I left."

Freddy stared at him, confused.

"Left… left what… wait, left your _house_?" He asked, dumbfounded. Zack nodded. "Like, forever?" Another nod. "Damn."

"Yeah, it's really ironic." Zack muttered, then noticed Freddy's blank look and rolled his eyes. "It means it's really weird. You and I got our asses on the streets on the same day."

"Oh. So, what're you gonna do?"

"Probably same as you. My dad gave me an extra two hundred grand as I left so I'd never need him again. My college stuff's already paid off for the next four years, since I got that full scholarship." Zack said, running a hand though his shaggy brown hair subconsciously. Freddy bit his lip, considering another idea.

"Well… we could… if you wanna… get an apartment. Together, I mean. If you want."

"That'd be cool. Plus we're both going to Dickerton University, so it would actually work really well." Zack paused when Freddy laughed a little. "What?"

"Dickerton. Dick. We're going to Dick school."

"Weirdo."

"So, hey, where's your stuff?" Freddy asked, noticing Zack's lack of suitcases.

"In my car. Which is still in my driveway." Zack said, throwing a hand in the general direction of his house. Freddy gave him an odd look.

"Why the hell didn't you drive here?"

"Um… you know, I don't really know. Come on, I'll help you carry your stuff to my house." He grabbed two suitcases with wheels in one hand, the last suitcase with no wheels dangling in the other. Freddy needed his entire arm span to grab the drums, and they slowly ambled to Zack's house.

LALALALALALA

They managed to stuff all seven suitcases- Freddy's three plus another four from Zack- in the trunk. The car wasn't really that big in the first place, and the suitcases weren't all that small. But after some shifting and flashbacks from geometry, Freddy managed to stuff everything in. His drum set and Zack's two guitars were settled in the back seat.

"Wow, Freddy. You actually got them all in."

"I know. I told you my amazing Tetris skills would come in handy one day." He slammed the trunk closed and piled into the passenger's seat. "Okay, so I got the number for those apartments…" He pressed a series of numbers in his cell phone and clamped it to his ear. "Hello? Yes, I'm interested in renting an apartment. Yep. No, I already have a roommate. What? Oh… okay. Freddy Jones and Zack Mooneyham. Freshmen. Okay, bye." He snapped his phone shut and turned to Zack.

"So what happened?"

"The lady said that they're re-doing an entire wing, which is the only available space, so we'd have to wait until about Friday to get one. But I put our names down and she reserved us a spot, with a slight discount for the first six months for any inconvenience."

"But… what do we do until Friday? It's only Tuesday… that's three days of nowhere to go."

"There's a Marriott about a block from the apartment building… we can just stay there until it's done." So off they headed, Freddy constantly flicking the station from classic rock to alternative, and if Zack had been any other person, he probably would've opened the passenger side door, shoved the blonde out, and ran him over a few good times.

LALALALALALA


	2. Death By Waffles

**Once again, I don't own School of Rock or Zack or Freddy or the Goonies. Although that is a kickass movie and if you've never seen it you need to right now. However I **_**do**_** take full responsibility for the cake batter bed and Freddy's annoying little list.**

**Warning for language. But it's a bit nicer now.**

**Review if you like, criticism welcomed. I can take a hit or four.**

The man at the hotel lobby desk didn't like them. Before they even said a word, even made eye contact, even touched the damn desk, the man decided he hated them. Because what good could possibly come from two rebellious teenagers?

"Hi, we need a room from now until Friday, maybe Saturday," Zack said, still smiling from a wisecrack Freddy had just made. The man shot a look between the two of them.

"Oh do you? And just _how_ would you be paying for that? This is a high-class hotel, even the cheapest rooms are costly," The man snapped, glaring from Freddy's pierced lip to Zack's tattooed wrist. Freddy looked at him oddly, trying to determine if the guy was picking a fight or not. But he pulled out his credit card and slid it over.

"One bed or two?" The man asked, giving a look that just _dared_ them to ask for one. Freddy picked up on it immediately. Zack did too, and glanced at the blonde next to him. He had no doubt in his mind Freddy would verbally fight the guy. After a few seconds of staring, Freddy's eyes narrowed. _Crap._ He took the challenge.

"One." He stared down the man, who looked absolutely disgusted.

"So you two are like _that_?" he spat. Freddy wrapped an arm around Zack's waist.

"What if we are?" he demanded. The man said nothing, but stubbornly handed them two room keys and turned away. Freddy watched him for another second, and then led Zack back to the car to get their luggage. Once out of earshot, Zack started on him.

"What the hell? I get the guy's an asshole for being a homophobe and judging us and stuff, but did you really need to make him think we're gay? And only get one bed?"

"Calm down, Zack. I know we're not gay. But that guy was a douchebag… he's just asking to get a mouth full of fist. I just wanted to piss him off, see how far he'd go. And if it bothers you that much, I'll take the pullout bed in the couch," Freddy argued, grabbing two suitcases and one guitar and loading it onto the luggage cart. Zack sighed, mumbled something about being okay sharing one bed, and piled on the rest of the suitcases as Freddy added the drums and other guitar. Zack tossed the car keys to the valet guy, then helped his friend push the cart inside and towards the elevators. The front deskman glared at them the whole way.

"Okay, so you might've convinced a creepy old guy who we have to face frequently for three days that we're gay, though we're not, but I admit it's pretty freaking funny."

"See? Toldja." Freddy jabbed at the button in the elevator labeled 26. The doors closed, but just before they did Freddy grabbed at Zack and pretended to go in to kiss him, knowing the man was watching. Once the doors shut, Zack shoved him away, laughing.

"You're gonna make the free breakfast in the lobby so damn awkward, aren't you?"

"Hell yeah."

LALALALALALA

The bed was massive. And squishy. And about four and a half feet high. The rest of the room was nice too- a little couch, a decent TV, a mini fridge and microwave… but the bed was the star of the show. Freddy immediately dropped his suitcases by the TV and took a running leap, landing facedown in the middle of the bed. Zack laughed, watching as the blonde seemed to sink into the layers of puffiness.

"It looks like the mattress is swallowing you," Zack said, walking over and sitting on the bed himself. Immediately he sunk in a few inches. Freddy pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"It's like it's made out of quicksand or cake batter or something." To illustrate his point, Freddy pressed his hands deep in the squishy bed. Zack flopped back.

"I can't believe it's over." He didn't elaborate, but then he didn't really need to. Freddy knew he meant dealing with their parents- the lack of love, the constant disappointment, the crappy home life. They were finally free.

"Wish we still had the band going," Freddy sighed. Zack glanced at him.

"Man, you know why we couldn't keep it. Everyone was getting too busy, with college and jobs…" He trailed off. Freddy gave him a warning glare.

"Bullcrap. Everyone's goddamn priorities changed. _They_ changed. Lawrence and Summer couldn't give a damn about it anymore, and Katie's too obsessed with her ass of a boyfriend. They don't _care_. It's like… like that big dream we all had just never existed. Like we just all forgot about it."

"I didn't forget about it," Zack said quietly, still watching the blonde. Freddy looked down at him, a small smile playing across his lips.

"Yeah, I know. You and me, we're the only ones." He looked dazed for a second, but then stood up angrily. "Katie hasn't even _touched_ her bass in four years. Four freaking years."

"Why are you getting so pissed off over Katie?" Zack asked, looking up. Freddy seemed to jerk out of La-La Land.

"What?"

"I dunno, it's just… you've been getting really mad over her for the past few months. About every little thing, too, like her boyfriend, who isn't _that_ bad, and how she doesn't play anymore."

"So? I have a good reason to be mad."

"Yeah… but it's like half of your daily conversation. I mean, I'm not exactly happy with her either, but you're making it sound like it's consuming your life. What's really going on?" Zack pressed, looking right at the blonde. Freddy sighed and sat back down.

"She left us."

"Yeah, I got that."

"No, I mean… back when we had the band, I kinda figured Lawrence might eventually drop out. Rock and roll was never his thing; he couldn't stay with it forever. But you, me and Katie… I figured at least _that_ would last. She left us, Zack. She left the band, she left you, she… she left me." Freddy looked so miserable, but Zack had no idea what to do.

"Freddy, she made her choice. It was either the band… and you… or Dylan. And I know you had this big thing where you thought she was gonna grow up and turn beautiful and become Madonna and you two would fall in love and stuff, but come on. You were _fourteen_."

"I know, Zack. I was stupid. She didn't become Madonna, she didn't fall in love with me… hell, she's still not even that pretty. But all I wanted was to grow up with someone who shared the same stupid passion as I did and who loved our music as much as I did and to pretty much live happily ever after. I thought that was her. I made this list when I was little, about what I really wanted before I die. I still have it." He dug around for his wallet, carefully extracting a battered piece of lined paper. Zack took it gently, unfolding it to reveal messy handwriting. There were three things listed.

"For School of Rock to become famous, to fall in love with someone from the band, to get a lip piercing." Zack read. He looked up at Freddy, smiling sadly.

"Only one ever happened." The blonde ran his tongue over his lip piercing. "The other two completely didn't."

"So our old band didn't make it. You'll find a new one. You're the best drummer in the state. And who knows, maybe your new band will have a girl in it that you can fall for." Zack said, trying to lighten the mood. Not only was it a touchy subject for both of them, but they never really discussed stuff this deep. It was pretty much on the brim of being awkward.

Freddy laughed it off half-heartedly, sensing Zack's slight discomfort. His stomach rumbled loudly, helping to push away the awkward silence.

"I am sooooooooo hungry." Freddy moaned. Zack smirked and grabbed a binder off of the bedside table.

"Well, we could either look up a restaurant nearby or get room service…"

"Room service! Room service!" Freddy said excitedly, bouncing up and down on the bed. Zack laughed and reached for the phone.

"Um, hello? Yeah, room 2613. Could we get room service?" Zack pulled out a page in the binder with the menu and held it out to Freddy. "Yeah, I'll have-"

Freddy snatched the phone away and pinned it to his own ear.

"I want pancakes and cookies and brownies and fruit and waffles and bread and potatoes and grilled cheese sandwiches and French fries and iced tea! For two. Okay bye!" He slammed down the receiver, to find Zack glaring at him. "What?"

"Freddyyyy, I wanted chocolate milk!" Zack pouted. Freddy grinned.

"I think you'll survive."

When the food arrived, they spread it on the bed like a picnic. Freddy started scanning through the pay-per-views on the TV while Zack checked out the grub. Freddy found a reasonable movie and started it.

"Goonies?"

"Hell yeah. One of the greatest movies ever."

"I used to be so afraid of Sloth. I thought he was gonna come out of the TV and eat me." Zack said. Freddy, who had been in mid-sip of his iced tea, gagged laughing. Zack shot him a look. "It's not funny."

"Yes it is."

"I hope you choke and die on your waffles."


	3. I Just Won't Kiss You

**Alrighty, here's the next chapter.**

**Once again, I do not own either Zack or Freddy, nor School of Rock.**

**And I solely warn against cursing. And in this chapter, there is more of that meany little D word. Shield your eyes, children. You have been warned.**

**I pretty much own all of the stupid situations I put them through, though.**

**It would be lovely if you were to review, but that's up to you.**

**Oh, and Merry Christmas.**

Zack hadn't put too much thought into what Freddy had said earlier. But lying awake in the giant mushy bed, he on one side and Freddy rolled up on the other, things rolled over in his mind.

Freddy had wanted to fall in love with someone from the band with the same damn burning passion for music he had. The thing was, Zack had wanted the same thing too. He also figured it would be Katie; although even when they were fourteen, he could see Freddy kind of liked her. Not really her, so much, as what he imagined she'd be like when she grew up.

But the thing that kept popping up in the back of his mind as he was lying there in the bed… from a certain perspective, it could possibly be said by some kind of view that maybe, perhaps, it was possible he and Freddy had completely and accidentally described each other.

Not to say he had been referring to the blonde when he decided what he wanted four years ago. On the contrary, he meant Katie, just as Freddy had. But now Katie was out of the picture, and the only one who was still as in love with the band and the music as he was would be Freddy.

But Freddy wasn't a girl. And he was pretty sure Freddy wasn't gay either, unless he had been lying earlier after the whole deal with the front desk guy. And Zack wasn't gay.

So why did his brain keep thinking like he was?

LALALALALA

It felt like an earthquake. Zack was still in that weird place where you're not quite awake, but you're not fully asleep either. Where reality and dreams clash and you can't figure out which is which. So when his entire body, along with the bed, was shaking violently, and his subconscious came up with the image of an earthquake, Zack jolted awake. It took a few seconds, but soon he realized that he was not, in fact, experiencing any kind of natural disaster. Freddy was jumping on the bed.

"Ugh, Freddy, what the hell," he moaned, glancing at the clock. Freddy, startled by Zack's voice, whipped around in mid-jump and toppled off of the bed. Zack peeked over the edge.

"Ow… that hurt…"

"Why the hell were you jumping on the bed?"

"It's bouncy."

"Did you not notice I was still in it? Asleep?"

"That was part of the game!" Freddy insisted, earning himself a death glare from the brunette. "No, really! I was a kangaroo and you were the angry gorilla and if I landed on you I'd get eaten."

"Gorillas don't eat kangaroos. It amazes me you're going to college."

"Gorillas don't kill kangaroos either, but what would you do if I landed on you?"

"Shove your drumsticks in your ears."

"See? So a Zack-gorilla might eat kangaroos."

"… What the hell are you even talking about? I think now would be a good time to just end this conversation and pretend it never happened." Zack rubbed his eyes and finally slid out of the bed. "So… what are you gonna do today?"

"Um… hmm. I feel like I should accomplish something. But there's nothing I need to accomplish. You?"

"Well, I was gonna go apartment hunting, until yesterday happened. So I've already accomplished."

"OH, OH, OH! Let's go shopping _for_ the apartment!" Freddy said, jumping up and down. Zack groaned.

"I _hate_ shopping."

"It'll be fun! It won't be like when you go with a girl. Cuz I'm not a girl."

_Tell me about it_, Zack thought. He flashed back to last night's thoughts… about him and Freddy. He actually thought about them being… meant for each other. Now that it was morning and his head was actually functioning properly, he realized just how insane that idea had been. He could feel a blush crawling up his face since it was just really weird to think about. Hastily, Zack pushed those thoughts away and turned his attention back to Freddy.

"If we gotta. I guess we'd need some furniture and stuff, right?"

"Yeah! Let's go to Target."

"Why Target? Wal-Mart's so much cheaper," Zack protested. Freddy looked at him like he had tarantulas crawling out of his nose.

"Okay, one: the Wal-Mart in our town sucks. Half of the people there try to pickpocket you. It's ridiculous. Two: prices aren't exactly a concern, considering we have more than enough cash in our combined accounts."

"Do I need to remind you that we're gonna be renting an apartment in a few days? And we're going to college in a few months. So we kinda should be doing that thing most humans do, where they try to save money and stuff. I dunno, it just might work," Zack said, looking at his friend pointedly. Freddy got that challenging look in his eyes again.

"Well, I wanna go to Target. You can go to the dump you call Wal-Mart."

"It's not a dump! And doesn't your aunt work there?"

"I rest my case."

"Ugh. Fine. We'll go to stupid Target. But when you can't afford toothpaste for the next three years, don't come crying to me."

"I could live without toothpaste."

"Lovely. That's not gross at all. And _I _get to live with you."

"Don't worry, Zack. I just won't kiss you." It was only a joke, but at Freddy's words, Zack froze. He tried desperately to get his mouth to reconnect with his brain, tried to get a sentence out.

"Yeah… well… fine…" he stammered.

"So off to Target." Freddy declared, tugging the still fumbling brunette out the door. _I just won't kiss you_. Either Freddy hadn't noticed or hadn't thought twice about his friend's reaction, but Zack couldn't get that damn phrase out of his mind.

LALALALALA

"Ooh, look at this!"

"Freddy…"

"Oh wow, we gotta get this."

"Freddy-"

"This. We need this."

"Freddy!"

"Let's get six of this-"

"Jesus Christ, Freddy!" Zack exclaimed. Freddy finally looked at him.

"What?"

"Freddy, we have four shopping carts full of stuff we don't even need. And every time we pass something else, you feel we need to buy it. Half of this stuff isn't even necessary."

"Nonsense, Zack. Everything we got, we need. Name one thing I picked out that we'd never use."

"You're holding a Chinese calendar."

"So? Brings culture in our lives."

"You also grabbed a friggen canoe."

"There's a river somewhere in this state."

"And for some reason, you got a box of tampons. Explain that one, Mr. Jones."

"Well… what if a girl comes to our apartment and needs one? You never know…" Freddy shuffled his feet, glancing at the piles of useless items he scavenged. Okay, so maybe he didn't need _all_ of this stuff… but some of it was bound to be good for something. Zack pushed the four carts down an empty isle and grabbed Freddy's arm.

"Come on. We're going to get lunch, and then we'll come back. But _I'll_ be in charge of what we get."

Lunch consisted of grilled cheeses and tomato soup at Panera. Freddy watched Zack stir his soup in deep thought, subconsciously biting his lower lip. Freddy's eyes stayed on Zack's lips, red from his teeth. A strange bubbling sensation filled Freddy's stomach, and he put down his sandwich. But he couldn't draw his eyes away from the brunette's mouth. Zack glanced at him.

"You okay?" he asked. Freddy jumped.

"Wha? Oh, yeah. I-I'm fine," he stuttered, looking intently at his half-eaten sandwich. He was fine. Except for the fact that he'd been unintentionally staring at his best friend lately. Not really studying him and not really observing, but more of getting lost in Zack and accidently allowing his mind to think not-good things. Like at Target earlier, when he picked up twenty-eight boxes of condoms, just so Zack would put them back. And Freddy got butterflies just watching the guitarist run his fingers over the sexual boxes. God, Freddy needed a girlfriend.

"Hellooo? Earth to Freddy. Jesus, usually I can't get you to stop talking. Now you won't even say anything," Zack commented, finishing off his last bite of sandwich.

"Sorry… must be out of it today."

"Do you even wanna keep shopping?" Zack asked hopefully. _Please don't make me keep shopping…_

"Well-"

"Oh crap!" Zack interrupted. "I completely forgot, Katie's having that party tonight! Damn. It starts in an hour…" He pulled out his cell phone to double-check the time. Freddy glared pointedly at his soup.

"I don't wanna go," he pouted. Zack glanced up at him.

"Come on, Fred. I don't wanna go alone. It'll be fun."

"I don't wanna."

"I know you don't like Katie or Dylan, but there'll be tons of other people… and Katie's cousin will be there, so there's gonna be booze," Zack added, knowing that would get Freddy. The blonde looked up.

"Really? Hmm… maybe. But you're sticking with me the whole time. No freaking way I'm gonna get stuck talking to Katie or Dickhead Dylan. Or any of their other stupid friends," Freddy said. Zack burst out laughing.

"Dickhead Dylan? God, Freddy, he's not _that_ bad. Actually, I don't even know why you hate him so much."

"He stole my soda," Freddy mumbled, not meeting Zack's shocked gaze.

"Freddy… that was three years ago. And it was an accident."

"So? It was _my_ soda."

"I've stolen your stuff lots of times, but you don't go calling me…" Zack tried to think of a bad name that started with Z. He gave up after a few seconds. "Well, you don't hate me."

"That's cuz you're you," Freddy stated, as if it were obvious. "Alright, I'll go. But, remember. You stay by me, or I leave and dead bolt you out of the hotel room."

"Fine," Zack sighed, pushing around his soup. _On the bright side, I won't have to put up with Katie or Dylan either, _Zack thought. _Ha. Dickhead Dylan._


	4. Lucky Charms Are So Damn Delicious

**Welcome. I realize that I went MIA for about two months, but alas I was stupid and broke my laptop. Which took an entire month for the company to realize they couldn't fix, and I ended up having to call them six times in two days for them to finally tell me that I'd get a new one instead.**

**Sunnabitches.**

**Anyway. I already have written a lot of this story, but every time I read it or even think about it, there are tons of little things I want to change about it. So if there are any plot errors, or any grammatical errors, feel free to tell me. I take those seriously. However, as always, flames will be pointed and laughed at. Especially if they are because said flamer is a homophobe, which just makes said flamer a douche bag with no life. Shoo, homophobe.**

**Moving on.**

**I don't own Freddy, Zack, or Katie, or School of Rock. I do own Dickhead Dylan and the rest of the story. And Freddy's skinny jeans. I want those.**

**Rated for boatloads of cursing... and that's about it.**

**Alrighty then.**

Back at the hotel, Freddy was deciding what to wear. It wasn't exactly a special party, but he wanted to impress Katie. And Dylan.

And maybe Zack.

But just a little. And only because he wanted to make up for his lack of coolness earlier when they had that deep discussion about Katie and he almost started crying. Almost. Yes, that was the reason he wanted to look spiffy. Definitely wasn't for any other reason. Of course not.

For what felt like the thousandth time, he looked himself over in the mirror. He had on skinny but not too skinny black jeans, a sky blue t-shirt over a black long-sleeve, and a white studded belt. He shrugged. _Good enough_, he figured. Slipping on his beat up white chucks, he headed out of the bathroom.

Zack had apparently changed while Freddy was in the bathroom, and he looked _good_. He had on dark blue jeans, skinny but not clingy, just like Freddy's, a tight olive green long sleeve with some rock band's logo on it, a long black web belt, and solid black chucks.

Freddy's stomach was attacked by a swarm of butterflies, which he automatically associated with excitement for the party. Hell, the last big bash he'd been at was, what, three months ago?

"Ready to go?" Zack asked, casually glancing the blonde up and down. Freddy didn't notice.

"Yep. Remember what I said-"

"_Yes_, Freddy. I'll stay by you the whole time. And if you tell me one more time, I will throw your drums out the goddamn window," Zack threatened. Freddy smirked, and headed for the elevator. Zack followed behind.

"So, why do you wanna go to this again?"

"Because it's a party. That's what teenagers do; they gather in herds and get completely wasted."

"Oh. So who's gonna drive us home?"

"No one. We're not taking my car; the bus will get us a block from Katie's. Because you know you wanna get trashed, and there's no way I'm missing out on all the fun," Zack replied, jabbing the lobby button in the elevator.

When they arrived at Katie's house, both were feeling a little bit like turning around and running back to the hotel. There were too many cars near the house that they recognized, and each mentally pictured the party as the high school reunion from Hell. But they rang the doorbell, praying to God Katie wouldn't be the one to answer.

She didn't. Dickhead Dylan did.

"Hey, it's you guys. You were invited?" he asked, faking and failing at friendliness. Freddy glared at him.

"Yeah, we were. Now you wanna move the hell out of the way so we can come in?" Freddy snapped, wiping the smile off of Dylan's face.

"No need to be rude. I don't know what Katie sees in you two."

"I could say the same for you," Freddy said. Dylan held his gaze for a moment, but reluctantly stepped aside.

"Just get the hell in and don't touch anything."

Freddy spotted the beer first, all the way across the room. They stomped through the crowd, trying not to interact with any of the stupidly dancing teenagers. An already wasted girl approached Freddy from seemingly nowhere, tossing her long black hair behind her and smacking some guy in the back of the head with it.

"Hey baby, wanna head upstairs?" She asked, slurring her words slightly. Freddy grabbed Zack's arm, trying to tug him away. "Ooh, you got a friend. Well, I don't mind threesomes." Freddy stared at her in disgust.

"Go hit on someone else. C'mon, Zack." He tried again to pull himself and Zack free, but the girl stepped in his way.

"Ooooh… you two are like _that_. Well, it's a shame; you're both hot. At least you make a cute couple." She sauntered off, tripping over a few people along the way.

Freddy and Zack stood there, speechless.

"Um, the beer's over there…" Zack began awkwardly. Freddy nodded and headed that way, no longer dragging the brunette.

About two and a half hours later, both boys were trashed. They had found a bench outside and just sat there babbling, oblivious to the scattered beings all around them.

"No, no, no. See, if outlets were dinosaurs, they'd be… uh… carnivores. Cuz they always eat the… um… plugs."

"Man, you- you gotta, you gotta find, um, some lucky charms. Cuz… they're, um, lucky. And magically delicious."

There was a moment's pause, and then Freddy scooted closer to Zack.

"You know, you, um, you look pretty tonight. Zack. You look pretty," he slurred, staring at Zack as if what he said was the most important thing in the world. Zack stared back, slowly registering what he said.

"What?"

"You look p… pretty."

"Oh. Um. Thank you."

"Do I look pretty?" Freddy pressed, leaning closer to Zack for an answer. The brunette smiled a little.

"You always look pretty, Freddy." Even though there was a decent amount of alcohol in Freddy's system that was corrupting his mind, a bright blush spread up his face all the same. Although that could've been because of the alcohol he had been steadily consuming for the past two hours. Without thinking further, which wasn't hard in his state, Freddy leaned over and pressed his lips to Zack's. The brunette sat still in shock for a moment, then let the tingly feelings take over his thought process and leaned into it. Their lips clumsily slid against each other, the faint tastes of beer and harder alcoholic drinks accenting their closed mouths. All at once, Freddy pulled away, leaving Zack still floating there for a split second. They groggily looked at one another, too buzzed to process their own surprise.

"Hm. Well that was something," Freddy muttered. Zack seemed to realize what happened about ten seconds later. And it sobered his mind pretty damn quickly.

"Crap. Crap! Freddy, what… why… the hell?" he stuttered, jumping up from the bench. Freddy stood up too, stumbling slightly into the brunette.

"What? What happened?"

"You… you kissed me. You freaking _kissed_ me!" Zack stammered, running his hands nervously through his hair. Freddy looked puzzled.

"I did?" He asked. Zack paused, looking confused, his mind still quite fuzzy.

"Um… I _think_ you did… did you?"

"No, I think I _dreamed_ I did, and you must've been in my dream with me," Freddy stated, nodding his head at his logic. Zack tried to think about it, but it hurt his head, so he let it go.

"Oh. Okay."

They wobbled back into the house a bit later, crashing right into Katie. Quite literally. Freddy tumbled to the floor, and Zack fell across him.

"Woah, you guys okay?" Katie asked, pulling them up. Freddy nodded, and then realized who was talking to him.

"Yeah but I mighta… um… caught an… an SAT from you…" Freddy slurred out. Katie looked at him.

"You mean STD? Jesus, you two are wasted. You've had enough fun. I'll get Dylan to walk you to the bus."

"NO! If… Dicklan comes _near_ me… I'll punch his eyes out. Or something," the blonde moaned, leaning into Zack, who nearly toppled over again. Katie sighed.

"Fine, _I'll_ walk you to the damn bus. Let's go."

LALALALALALA

Around noon the next day, Zack woke up with one of the worst hangovers of his life. His skull was tearing itself apart, and he couldn't move without feeling nauseous. He opened his eyes wearily, and found Freddy curled around his torso. The blonde's arms squeezed his chest, and his legs were wrapped tightly around his hips. The blonde spikes of Freddy's hair brushed gently against Zack's collarbone, sending light chills down his arms.

Then Zack made the mistake of shifting a little. Because that set off a tsunami of nausea.

"Freddy… Freddy! You gotta get off me…" When Freddy didn't respond, Zack had to pry him off roughly and made a dash for the bathroom.

Freddy came tumbling in a split second after Zack finished tidying up the bathroom, pushing the brunette out of the way so he could take his turn vomiting.

Two hours later, the two were slumped on the hotel room couch, clutching large mugs of steaming hot black coffee, a half-empty bottle of aspirin settled on the table.

"Christ, Zack… we got so smashed. I can't remember anything from yesterday. I mean… I think I do... but some of the things seem ridiculous."

"Like what?"

"Like… I think I called Dylan Dicklan. And… I think we had a conversation about dinosaurs and electricity… and…" Freddy faltered, remembering a hazy kiss. He flushed, contemplating bringing it up. He couldn't even remember whom it was with… although he was pretty sure it wasn't Katie. "I think… I… um… never mind, I forgot," he muttered, losing his courage.

Zack tried not to say what he was thinking. _I could SWEAR I kissed someone… and I have a weird feeling it wasn't a girl. Goddamn I was trashed…_ Zack thought.

"Oh… okay. Hey, my headaches going away a bit, wanna get some food?"

LALALALALALA

After a late lunch of room service food, Freddy was lying on his back on the bed, trying to think of something interesting to do.

"I'm gonna go out for a bit, do you need anything?" Zack asked him, stuffing his arms into a hoodie and zipping it up skillfully. Freddy sat up quickly.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't really know. I just wanna get out for a while," Zack replied. Freddy pouted, and Zack smirked. "D'you wanna come with me?"

Freddy immediately brightened.

"Okay!"

The two made it down to the lobby when they saw the front desk guy. Freddy grinned at Zack, then grabbed his hand and entwined their fingers.

"Freddy, what-"

"Oh, Zacky, last night was AMAZING! God you're _so_ good in bed," Freddy practically shouted. His brunette counterpart flushed bright red.

"Freddy!"

But it already had its desired effect; the desk guy was glaring at them, turning increasingly pale. Zack followed Freddy's gaze and saw the homophobe. He almost smiled a little, realizing what the blonde was doing. Almost.

"God, Zack, especially when you shoved Little Zacky in my-"

"FREDDY!" Zack dragged the rambling blonde out of the hotel. He pulled him into a narrow alley along the side of the building, and pushed him against the rough wall.

"Ooh, kinky," Freddy grinned.

"Freddy Jones, what the _hell_ is wrong with you? What the hell would make you say stuff like that?"

"Calm down, Mooneyham, it was a _joke_."

"No, it wasn't, you retard! Now everyone in that lobby thinks I'm sleeping with you!"

"So? Who cares what they think?"

"_I_ do! _I _care!" Zack increased his weight on Freddy, pushing him harder into the brick wall. Freddy winced.

"Why? So what if they think we're gay? You didn't get this pissed off when I did stuff like this before. What's the big deal?"

"I'm _not_ gay, that's the big deal! _You_ may swing that way, but I don't. And I don't appreciate you running through the hotel proclaiming I do!"

Freddy stared at Zack, who suddenly was desperate to avoid his gaze.

"Sorry for _offending_ you. Maybe that douche bag inside isn't the only homophobe around here," Freddy muttered, shoving the brunette off of him and stomping away.

Zack would've said something to stop him, but one thing stuck out about their conversation. Freddy never denied being gay.


	5. Dylan Ruins Everything

**Okay, I really wish Midterms would just die. Really.**

**Anyway, I cleaned up this story, so that there aren't any F or S... or the other F words. Hopefully. If I missed one, let me know. The reason for this is so that I can switch it from M to T, because my friend, who is obsessed with annoying me, wants it to be noticed by more people. I really don't care who reads this, if anyone, but whatever. Makes me feel better, to only have the less tragic bad words. That's good, right?**

**As always, I don't own School of Rock or the characters. I just make them do ridiculous, absurd things.**

**Let me know if you see a grammatical or plot error. My life's dream is to have a story with absolutely none of those.**

**Okay, not really. But still.**

**Moving on.**

Zack didn't want to go back to the room. He had been in a daze at the end of their fight, but some part of his subconscious saw Freddy head back in that direction. So he walked to a nearby park.

There were two types of swings in that park. The first was the normal kind, where it's just a narrow slab of hard rubber strung to the metal frame by thick chains. The other, where Zack decided to sit, was a tire swing hung horizontally by three chains that connected at the top. He spun around slowly, poking his foot at the ground.

He was also trying ridiculously hard not to think about Freddy. Or being gay. Or how stupid their fight had been. Or how they were going to make up later awkwardly at the hotel. Or how long he'd been sitting in the tire swing. Or how hungry he was.

So he sat there for two hours not thinking about anything. He only came out of his thoughtless trance when something poked his shoulder. He spun the swing around, knocking a surprised Freddy down with it.

"Freddy?"

"Ow…"

"Freddy, what the hell are you doing here?" Zack asked, clearly miffed. Freddy stood up, brushing himself off.

"We need to talk," he stated, looping his legs through the tire swing and taking a seat across from the brunette. Zack glared to his right, not wanting to even look at his friend.

"I'm not a homophobe."

"I know. But that's what we need to talk about."

Zack looked at him, confused. Freddy was twirling his fingers on his thighs, taking shaky breaths.

"Zack, I've been thinking for a while. A long while. Like, for about three years. And, there's something I gotta come to terms with."

"Oh my god, you're coming out to me."

"Kind of. Not really. See, I don't care about gender. Like, if I met someone who had the most amazing personality ever, and we get along really well… I wouldn't care if it was a guy or a girl."

"So… you're saying you're bi?"

"Yeah. I wanted to let you know, so if you want to stop sharing a room with me, I'd understand. I mean, it's not like I'm gonna hit on you or anything. But I figure I'd just let you know."

Zack stared at him. Only one thing Freddy had said was processing in his mind. _It's not like I'm gonna hit on you or anything… what the hell? Am I not good looking or something? He said personality was all that mattered to him, so what, is my personality messed up or something? Not that I want him to hit on me. He's not my type. In the aspect of him being a boy. He can be gay… or half gay… all he wants, but that's not my style. No thank you. _Then he realized Freddy was still talking.

"… And if you really are homophobic, I won't hold it against you, I guess. I should've told you before we got one bed, probably. But it's completely understandable if you don't want to be my friend anymore-"

"Wait, what? What the hell are you talking about?" Zack stared at the blonde, dumbfounded. Freddy looked uncomfortable.

"Um… I was just saying, I completely understand if you don't wanna be my friend anymore."

"Don't be stupid! I'm not that much of a jerk, and we're still friends."

"So, why'd you flip out before?"

"I don't even know. I mean, I think you were stupid for acting like that in the lobby, but it wasn't _that_ big of a deal. Sorry I freaked on you."

"It's cool. Sorry I didn't tell you my sexuality. And made a complete homosexual idiot of you in front of half of the hotel guests and about seventeen employees. And for only getting us one bed. Which we can totally change when we get back, if you want."

"No, no, it's fine. I know you wont molest me in the middle of the night… besides, I'm kinda used to sharing a bed with you already. You're like a really bony teddy bear. Without fur. Or a fluffy interior," Zack said, grinning. Freddy looked at him for a minute, trying to detect any signs of him lying. Finally, he smiled back.

"So anyway, where were you gonna go today? Earlier, I mean," Freddy asked, spinning the tire swing a bit. Zack lifted his feet a bit so the blonde could spin easier.

"Well, I _was_ gonna head over to Katie's."

"Why?"

"She called me earlier. Apparently we, uh, left some clothes there," Zack said, blushing.

"What clothes, exactly?"

"Um, well _I_ left my shirt there."

"What did I leave?"

"Well, you know how you woke up without pants on today?" Zack smirked a bit.

"Oh god damn. I don't remember taking any clothes off last night…"

"Yeah, me either. Well, wanna go?"

"I guess so. I want my pants back. I like those pants."

They took Zack's car this time, blasting eighties music and not really talking at all. When they reached Katie's house, they noticed her car wasn't in the driveway. Which would explain why Dylan opened the door.

"Jesus, do you two have to come over every day now?" he remarked, glaring them both down.

"Shut up and move over. We left our stuff here, and we're not leaving until we- meaning not you- get it." With that, Freddy shoved the guy aside, tugging Zack behind him.

"Homos," Dylan muttered. The two stopped dead in their tracks. Zack tensed up, and Freddy spun around.

"Wanna say that louder?"

"I said you guys are _homos_."

Freddy stormed over to Dylan, pulling his fist back, preparing to punch him. Zack snapped out of it and ran to the blonde.

"Freddy, no!" He grabbed Freddy's arm, and struggled for a minute until the blonde threw his arm down. "He's just being an idiot. He knows we're not like that."

Dylan laughed. Loudly.

"Are you _serious_? Are you freaking kidding me? I _know_ for a _fact_ you two are exactly like that. Don't try to pull that whole 'we're not really gay' thing on me," Dylan snapped. He caught sight of two identical dumbfounded faces. Dylan's smirk faltered. For a second. And then it returned tenfold. "You two don't know."

"What?" Freddy demanded. Dylan walked over to a coffee table, and grabbed his video camera.

"I filmed some _very_ interesting footage yesterday. Shall we take a look?" He strutted- yes, _strutted_- to a laptop on the couch. He clicked a few buttons, and a video began to play. Drawn by curiosity, Freddy and Zack walked over.

_"No, no, no. See, if outlets were dinosaurs, they'd be… uh… carnivores. Cuz they always eat the… um… plugs."_ Zack's slurred voice could be heard through the fuzzy speakers.

_"Man, you- you gotta, you gotta find, um, some lucky charms. Cuz… they're, um, lucky. And magically delicious." _Freddy grinned at his comment. He hadn't realized how stupid they got when wasted. He saw himself scoot closer to Zack on the bench. _"You know, you, um, you look pretty tonight. Zack. You look pretty." _Freddy flushed bright red. Next to him, Zack was turning pink too.

_"What?"_

_ "You look p… pretty."_

_ "Oh. Um. Thank you."_

_"Do I look pretty?"_ The Freddy in the video leaned in really close to Zack, looking like he would fall onto him any second.

_"You always look pretty, Freddy."_

And then they saw it. Video-Freddy leaned over and closed the small space between himself and Video-Zack. The real Freddy and Zack stared in absolute shock as their drunken counterparts awkwardly kissed each other. The video cut off a minute later.

"See? Homos," Dylan said simply. Neither Freddy nor Zack moved.

"Holy mother of god," Freddy muttered after a minute. Zack blinked, then turned and walked dazedly out of the house.

"Here are your damn clothes. Now go follow Princess," Dylan smirked, stuffing a small pile into the blonde's hands. Freddy slowly scooted out of the house to find his friend lying across the car hood. He approached cautiously.

"Zack?"

Nothing.

"Zack, listen. We were drunk, it happens to everyone. I _swear_ it didn't mean anything," Freddy said quietly, though the last part gave an odd twist in his stomach.

Some part of that must've set something in Zack off. He sprang off the car hood and stomped over to Freddy.

"No, YOU listen! You _cannot_ come to me and say WE were drunk; it was OUR fault! Because it WASN'T, it was YOURS! _You_ kissed _me_! There is friggen video footage to prove it! And I guess it's just a _coincidence_ that you came out of the damn closet the next day! You freaking did it on purpose, you freaking _like_ me, and you had the guts to get us one goddamn bed in a hotel! I bet all of that gay stuff in the lobby was REAL!"

"Zack-"

"And I'M NOT GAY! You got that? I am not friggen GAY! So stop acting like I am!"

"Zack, please-"

"Now get in the goddamn car and don't talk to me, got it?"

With that, the fuming brunette stomped into the car. Timidly, Freddy got in the passenger side. For the ride back, neither boy spoke. But the blonde glanced at his friend several times, taking in the steady pissed off look. The worst part was, Freddy knew Zack was overreacting. And he couldn't figure out why. He seemed honest earlier when he said he was cool with Freddy being bisexual. And he _knew_ they were wasted out of their minds, and there's some kind of code that whatever you do when you're that trashed doesn't count in real life, and should probably just be forgotten for the rest of forever. So what was Zack's problem?

LALALALA

The hotel deskman was probably one of the worst human beings ever to exist, in Freddy's opinion. As soon as they walked in, Zack storming ahead and Freddy trying to keep up, the man felt the need to comment.

"It appears the happy couple is having some difficulty," he mocked. Zack stopped, walked over to the desk, and socked the guy in the mouth.

"Zack, what the hell!" Freddy walked over, pulling him back. The brunette yanked himself away.

"I am not gay, and I'm not staying in this stupid hotel anymore! I'm getting my stuff and getting the hell out of here!" He pretty much ran over to the elevator, and punched the button repeatedly. Freddy followed a little behind. That elevator ride up was the tensest one he had ever experienced.

Once in the room, Zack began stuffing everything that was his in his suitcases. Once he was packed, he headed back to the elevator, leaving Freddy alone in the room. The blonde hoped, prayed that the boy would realize what he was doing and turn around, but he didn't come back that night.

In fact, he didn't come back the next day either. Or the next. And that Friday, Freddy got the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Mr. Mooneyham or Mr. Jones there?"

"This is Mr. Jones. Um, Freddy."

"Hi, I'm calling about the apartment you and Mr. Mooneyham were planning on renting? The wing you two will be in is complete, and you're free to move in any time tomorrow, okay?"

Freddy winced.

"Sure, thank you."

He hung up. Freddy hadn't spoken to or seen his best friend since the big fight. But that boy had been the only thing on his mind the whole week. Everything reminded him of Zack, whether it was his lonely drum set in need of a guitar accomplice, or how big and scary the squishy bed seemed with only one body pinning it down. And it hurt to imagine the brunette not thinking about him as well.

Yes, he liked boys as much as he liked girls. But that kiss really _had_ been an accident. He would never make a move on the guy while sober.

But maybe he did have feelings for him. In the more-than-a-friend kind of way.

Just a little though.

So it was like God himself came to bless Freddy when his cell phone vibrated, indicating a text message from Zack. He flipped it open hastily.

**Meet me in an hour at the park.**


	6. Shirts Count as BandAids, Right?

**Please, please, _please_ let me know if there are any mistakes, either grammatical or plotwise, in this one. I kind of didn't really look over it that well, because I have so many damn distractions lately [like a new kitty, a new boyfriend who is making me take things slowly, insomnia, ADD, summer vacation, my boss was fired, my new boss is pregnant, and everything work-wise has been shoved in my hands, and MY DAD DRANK ALL THE GODDAMN COFFEE], and I just... gave up halfway through editing.**

**God, every time I read over these stupid stories, I wanna just delete them and start over again. **

**Wow. None of you needed to know any of that. I deeply apologize for the rant I just thrusted at you.**

**So... rated for language... I don't own School of Rock or the characters... review if you'd like [it reminds me to actually update]... don't review if you don't want to... and if you really are stupid enough to be homophobic and have read this far, then you deserve to be stabbed in the jugular with a chopstick... and I have absolutely nothing against hybrids. In fact, they are awesome. Although completely overpriced. **

**Anyway. Go ahead, I'll stop talking now.**

You know that super nasty flavor of post-vomit you get after hurling up a seven-course meal?

That's what Freddy had going on during his nerve-racking trip to the park. He was walking in some sort of zigzag pattern, and managed to walk into two fire hydrants and a huge, leaking sack of garbage. Freddy's cell phone was near breaking point in his Hulk-like grip, and he was having such a major panic attack that he didn't notice he was wearing two different colored converse. His left foot looked dashing in a newer starry patterned high-top, but his right foot looked like it had been through a trash compactor in a low-top that had probably once been blue, but was now a greyish brownish color with more holes than a sponge.

He stumbled over to the park as quickly as possible, only tripping stupidly over his undone shoelaces once. Freddy arrived at the tiny park looking like a disheveled, human-shaped pile of dirty rags. He looked around nervously, feeling more and more depressed as he only saw little kids and moody looking preteens scattered around the swings and rusted slide.

Just when he was about to lose all hopes and go be emo and cry in his hotel room, his eyes caught sight of a ridiculously familiar boy moping on a cracked bench off to the far right. Taking a few deep breaths, Freddy straightened his posture and marched over, wishing beyond belief that he felt half as confident as he looked.

Zack didn't look up when Freddy cautiously approached him, but he stopped pulling at a string dangling from a small hole in his jet-black jeans. Freddy hesitated, deciding not to sit next to his friend.

"Hi," Zack muttered.

"Hey."

"I like you." And there it was, just like that. Freddy released a huge, unbelievably relieved breath. Zack finally peeked up at him, and Freddy could see how crappy he looked. Zack was as bad as Freddy, with his eyes swarmed in dark circles and his lower lip red and swollen from him gnawing on it in nervousness. Freddy smiled slightly at him, fully prepared to return the confession.

"I like y-"

"Shut up." Freddy blinked, taken aback by the abrupt interruption and demanding tone. "Do you realize how messed up I've been for the past few days? I mean, one second we're best friends and you… you're like a brother to me, and then, _bam_! You tell me you're bi and we kissed and… and now you give me freaking _butterflies_. God, that sounds so unbelievably lame," Zack sighed, twisting his body to lie down on the bench. He looked up at the blonde to find him grinning like an idiot.

"I give you butterflies?"

"Shut your mouth, Jones. I hate this; what if we ruin everything? If… if we _did_ take this somewhere… the chances of us messing up and hating each other are, like… really, really high!"

"But… what if we don't mess up?"

"What if we do?" Zack rolled off the bench, landing in a crouch on the ground before straightening his legs and standing up. Freddy tilted his head.

"Zack, besides this past week, we've never fought. Ever. And… come on, man. Do you really think that we could stay in one apartment together and _not_ try to jump each other?" Freddy took a half step towards his friend, but didn't dare move any closer at the look Zack sent him.

"I get that, really I do, but I just don't know if we should _risk_ it. Think about it like this. Let's say, for now, we don't take it further. Just hear me out," he added when Freddy opened his mouth to protest. "I'm not saying that we shouldn't ever move up. But why don't we just wait until we're sure… like, really super sure? This way, we can still be friends while we decide whether or not this would work." There was a slight pause as Freddy processed what was said.

"But… I already am sure. I like you, Zack, and I want to be more than friends." He took another step closer, and Zack backed up a bit. The back of the brunette's legs hit the edge of the bench, and he whipped around and glared at it as if the trap was the bench's fault. Zack sighed and side stepped around Freddy, and began to walk away, following the cemented sidewalk path. Freddy mentally groaned- he had been _so damn close_. He turned and followed Zack, trailing behind at a steady four-foot distance.

Apparently, Zack hadn't been paying attention to where he was walking, because he somehow managed to trip over a small dent in the sidewalk, and collapsed, landing sharply on his right knee and both palms. Freddy immediately jogged over, kneeling next to him and trying to turn him over.

"Ow… damnit, my knee…" Zack turned himself around and sat down, gingerly raising his right leg to reveal a gaping hole directly over his right knee. The skin itself within the hole was torn wide open, bleeding quite excessively and not looking ready to stop anytime soon. Freddy quickly pulled off his shirt, which had been a fabulous bright blue one with some weird white design on it. Completely not caring that it had cost him $22.95 and that it was his favorite shirt ever, he quickly wiped away most of the blood and turned the shirt inside out, revealing a slightly cleaner side. Freddy rolled it up so that the bloody parts weren't showing, and proceeded to tie it around Zack's knee, cutting off the blood flow. Without really thinking it through, Freddy secured the shirt and leaned down to place a platonic little kiss over the wound. He pulled back slowly, realizing the extra meaning the gesture held in this situation, as compared to when he'd kiss the boo-boo's of any of his other friends.

"Oh… I…" Freddy trailed off uncertainly, sitting back on his heels. "Are you okay?"

"Uh… yeah," Zack said quietly, entire face turning a lovely shade of pink. He was looking at Freddy strangely, as if… almost as if the blonde was some sort of interesting beast. To be honest, it was kind of creeping Freddy out.

"Listen, that didn't mean anything, I swear. It's just that when I was little, my mom would always kiss my cuts and bruises and stuff, though my dad didn't, because he said that it was gay, and that if he did I'd turn into a fruit, and I didn't get it cuz I was like, five, and I thought that he meant I'd turn into like, a strawberry. And then he still said it when I got older, and I realized he meant it would turn me into a homosexual, and I said that it was ridiculous, but I turned into a fruit… kind of, anyway. Although I gotta clarify that I am bisexual, not completely homo. But… but not to say that I would go and hit on girls right now! Because I totally have a big crush on you and it's not something I'm gonna get over anytime soo-"

Freddy's annoying rant was cut off abruptly when Zack leaned forward, over his injured knee, and pressed his lips to Freddy's. The blonde froze, and after a split second it finally sunk in that _Zack was kissing him_. He quickly pressed back, not trying to take the lead but still showing interest so that his first [sober] kiss with Zack was not ruined.

They pulled apart quickly when a chorused '_ewww_' was heard from right next to them, and they peered up to find two little kids, probably around seven, standing there and making faces.

"Ew, kissing!" The one insisted, pulling at his baggy shirt. The other boy squirmed and covered his eyes, despite the fact that Zack and Freddy had pulled away already. Zack regained his composure first, and quickly stood and stalked off. Freddy cursed under his breath and heaved himself up, following the brunette.

"Zack! Zack, please just wait," the blonde begged, catching up easily to his friend, who was now leaving the park and heading for the parking lot. Zack stopped and whirled around, and Freddy almost jumped out of his mismatching shoes when he saw that Zack was crying. Thin, wet tracks were running down his rosy cheeks, and his lips were quivering as if he was trying to hold in a particularly large sob. Freddy didn't even hesitate before he walked up to his friend and wrapped his arms around Zack, squeezing him tightly.

"This sucks," Zack mumbled into Freddy's shoulder.

"I know, but… I liked it. Back there… when you kissed me."

"Yeah, I did, too. Which is why this sucks."

"Alright," Freddy sighed after a moment, using all of his mental strength to spit out the next few words. "If you want to be 'just friends' until you can figure out everything, than that's fine. I can respect that." Zack pulled back, wiping at his eyes. Freddy released him obediently and stepped back about five feet. 'Just friends' meant that the awkward hugging was no longer a good idea. Zack sighed and nodded, and began to head out of the parking lot. He turned back to Freddy to ask if he was coming along, but his words got stuck nastily in his throat. As if in slow motion, Zack saw Freddy focus solely on his friend. He saw the kids from earlier were gone from the park, leaving in their parents' super fancy humongous hybrid. He saw the stupid hybrid driver texting on their damn phone as they raced for the exit of the parking lot.

And worst of all, he saw Freddy, oblivious to anything but Zack, get smacked with a sickening crunch at fifty miles an hour by the goddamn hybrid.


	7. Celery Legs and Vomit

**Alright, I finally freaking did it. **

**This chapter finally _exists_. I'm truly sorry for the delay, but I'm stubborn and kept procrastinating. **

**Oh, AS A WARNING, this chapter is going to be one big lump of sad. Not the 'I'm going to cry my eyes out and be forever scarred' sad, but the 'well... that sucks' kind of sad. BE WARNED. This is what happens when I watch Pocahontas and write. I don't know.**

**Warning: curses, but not horrible.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to School of Rock or the characters. I just put them through some pretty messed up crap.**

**Let me know if there are grammatical/spelling/plot errors. Seriously. I'm way too lazy to reread this, but I'm paranoid that there are fifty mistakes I don't see currently. **

**Um... begin.**

To say that Zack was having a panic attack would be one of the top understatements of the century. Seeing Freddy not only be pummeled by the oversized hybrid, but also disappearing underneath it as the goddamn thing literally _ran over him_ make all blood flow and breathing come to a horrendous halt in the brunette. Zack's ears failed to register any sound other than the deep thudding of his heartbeat, and for a moment he felt like he was about to vomit up everything he had eaten in the past year plus his stomach. The hybrid driver stomped on their brakes rapidly, making the car thrust back and forth on its wheels while its momentum died out. Instead of getting out and taking care of the damage they'd created, the driver started up again and sped out of the parking lot and down the road as fast as their stupid car would take them.

Zack stood there, unable to move, and this time he really did throw up. He bent forward, crossing his arms over his stomach as the acidic taste flooded the back of his throat and projected itself forward.

Freddy was a bloody, tangled heap lumped in the middle of the smooth lot. His arms were twisted and bent at odd angles and in more places than arms normally bend at. His legs… dear god, his legs were nearly unidentifiable; they were like two chewed up stalks of celery that someone decided not to waste the energy to finish, and were left there, mangled and bent and ugly. Freddy's head seemed all right enough, minus the large scrape above his left eye, but that looked unbelievably minor next to the rest of his body.

Zack finally regained control of his body and rushed over to his damaged friend, kneeling haphazardly beside him. He went to reach for Freddy's shoulders, or chest, or _something_, but his hands only levitated above the broken boy in Zack's fear of making it worse.

"Oh my lord- Harold! Call nine-one-one! A young boy's been run over!" Zack heard the loud, womanly voice from somewhere over to his right, but didn't care nor did he even process her words. He did notice, however, when the same woman knelt on the other side of Freddy and began to inspect him. She glanced up at Zack, about to ask him to give the blonde boy some space, when she saw the look on the brunette's face. "Oh, honey, is he your friend?" Her voice was low and calming, at least a little.

"Y-egh," Zack muttered, trying not to throw up again. She frowned solemnly and turned to Freddy's legs. She grabbed a thick, bright pink bag she must've brought with her- Zack only noticed it now- and tugged a large white shirt out of it.

"Help me tie this around his right leg. We need to stop the blood flow," she explained, giving the shirt to Zack. He clutched it weakly and stared at it for a moment, not understanding. "Okay, listen, I know you're in shock and this is hard, but I need you to work with me _or he will die_," she tried again, her voice low and serious. Zack snapped into action at the raw statement and tied the shirt clumsily around the squashy log-like thing Freddy used to call a leg. The woman adjusted the shirt a bit, and Freddy's right leg stopped its fountain-like bleeding. She then pulled off her own shirt, revealing a black tank top, and tied that shirt around Freddy's other leg.

Zack sat up when he heard sirens coming closer, and soon was greeted by the sight of a clean white ambulance racing into the parking lot. He jumped up and stumbled to the side as a few guys in uniforms jumped out of the back of the ambulance, dragging one of those uncomfortable looking stretchers behind them. One of them tried to talk to Zack, but he only gazed hoplessly at Freddy, so the man gave up and jogged over to speak to the woman who had helped the mangled blonde instead. They spoke for a bit, and the ambulance guy gestured to his coworkers. They lowered the stretcher to the ground and carefully lifted Freddy onto it. One guy wrapped a neck brace around Freddy's pale throat, and another guy carefully maneuvered the boy's arms and legs to straighten them out. Two carried the stretcher into the ambulance, while the woman walked over to Zack.

"Honey, listen." She waited a moment as Zack dragged his eyes away to focus on her. "They are taking your friend to the hospital. You can go in the ambulance; they need to ask you questions anyway. Alright?" Zack nodded faintly, and the lady tugged on his arm to direct him to the ambulance. In twenty minutes, Zack had been shoved into the boxy white vehicle, pointlessly spoken to during the bumpy ride to the hospital, and dragged along when they arrived as the men rushed Freddy to an emergency room.

Another two hours consisted of sitting dazedly in a lonely waiting room that smelled like cheap plastic. A nurse walked by and handed Zack a cup of water from a little water dispenser they had behind the help desk, giving him an understanding look. But she didn't understand. She didn't have her best friend in some room somewhere in this creepy, nerve-wracking place. She wasn't sitting quite literally on the edge of her seat because no one in this damn place would take a second of their time to give an update on her friend. _She_ wasn't about to go into a total depression because her brain kept informing her that, most likely, Freddy was dead and Zack would never see him again. She didn't _understand_.

Zack completely blamed himself for the incident, of course. Had he just grown a pair and actually accepted his feelings for the blonde, they would've probably been in an alley somewhere making out right about now. But Zack was a stubborn idiot and didn't take the one thing he really wanted when it was handed to him on a silver freaking platter.

His mental berating was interrupted when a short doctor in a crisp white coat cautiously approached him.

"Excuse me, are you with Fredrick Jones?" The man had a deep, smooth voice that, in any other situation, would lull Zack to sleep. No wonder they had this guy dishing out the news; his voice was probably the most relaxing voice in vocal history.

"Yeah," Zack bit out, trying hard not to break down crying. The man sighed, and Zack's stomach clenched painfully. This didn't look good.

"He's alive," the doctor began, and Zack let out a huge breath he apparently had been holding, and let himself sag back into the chair. The doctor frowned more. "However… kid, your friend took a big hit. Both of his arms are broken in several places, his legs required complicated surgery. He's still in the operating room. Not only did he have breaks in his legs, but they had to fix a lot of nerve damage. We don't know how much use of his legs he'll have, if any."  
"Christ," Zack muttered. He leaned forward again, resting his elbows on his knees and tangling his hands in his hair.

"Had it just been those injuries, he would definitely get through this. But… he had some head trauma, and we don't know how bad it is. We won't know either until he wakes up. If he does."

Zack looked up with wide, confused eyes. "If he… what?"

"Son, I'm sorry… your friend is in a coma. We don't know if he'll come out of it, if he does. And if he does wake up, he might have serious brain damage. It just doesn't look good."

Zack broke down. He curled into a ball on the uncomfortable chair, sobbing into his knees while his hands remained threaded into his hair. The doctor sighed heavily and collapsed into the chair next to Zack. Normally, this particular doctor didn't get onto a personal level with waiting room people, but this kid was different. The ambulance workers had gotten the story from the lady back at the park, and so the doctor knew that none of this was this kid's fault. To be this upset over a friend was one thing, but the kid literally looked heartbroken… like his entire world had been shattered. The doctor had seen this before, sometimes among best friends, but usually…

"You love him, don't you?" The doctor shifted in his seat to see Zack's face better. Zack peeked up at him, tears streaming steadily down his cheeks. The kid didn't reply, but the look in his eyes told the doctor everything. "You know… I used to know this guy, Jeremy. We became best friends back in… oh god, it must've been fourth grade. We grew up together, too. We were best friends. And eventually, we… you know, became more than that." Zack lifted his head more, curiosity streaking up. "Jeremy went over to Iraq a few years ago… it would be five years this October. He died there, two nights before our anniversary. We didn't do anything for anniversaries, because we both kept forgetting and we weren't into overly romantic stuff like that. But…" He paused, eyes losing focus as he became lost in a memory. "Now, every goddamn year, I remember. I can never forget our anniversary again." He turned back to Zack, who began crying even harder. "It hurts, and that hurt will never go away. But… if your friend doesn't make it, you need to realize that he wouldn't want you to live out the rest of your life in misery. He'd want you to laugh and smile and actually _live_."

Zack nodded a bit, still crying and still looking like the epitome of misery.


	8. Jade

**Okay, I am really, really, _really _sorry about the whole... not updating deal. I won't even get into the reason I've been missing, it's so freaking idiotic. But! I have been blasting out oneshots like there's no tomorrow, several of which are SOR related. I just... have to actually _finish_ them and get around to putting them up.**

**I am not on haitus, nor do I plan on being so any time soon. And I swear on all of my Naruto cards and my Wesley Crusher action figure (jesus, I just _scream_ dork, don't I) that this story _will be finished_. Eventually. No promises on quickening up the pace on updates, but hey. I don't know; I don't have a positive point to put there.**

**Right.**

**Rated for cursing, blah, blah blah... not rating for homosexuality... same as every goddamn chapter of every goddamn story I write...**

**I don't own the Zack or Freddy, or School of Rock.**

**BUT I DO OWN JADE. Although he may get hated on, he's mine.**

**Inform me of any grammatical/plot errors. **

**Carry on, then.**

He had fallen asleep, which seemed like a miracle in itself considering the ridiculous lack of comfort the plastic chair provided. Zack had been in the waiting room for about thirteen hours now, and had slept there over night. Well, he had _tried_ to fall asleep last night, but considering that his best friend was a few rooms away, possibly never to wake again, it was understandable as to why he had difficulties. But exhaustion and hours of crying wore him down enough and he finally fell into a slumber just as the sun was rising.

A stout nurse shook him awake a few hours later. Zack opened his eyes with slight difficulty, as there seemed to be a dried layer of tears gluing them shut. He sat up, momentarily forgetting where he was until it all came flooding back and he felt depressed again. The nurse waited for him to wake up a bit, and realize she was there.

"Oh… um… hi," Zack mumbled, completely confused. The nurse smiled gently, and handed him a large blueberry muffin.

"You can see your friend now," she said kindly. Zack looked up at her in puzzlement. "He's still in a coma," she added, which appeared to clear it up for the brunette as he nodded and focused on the muffin. "But the doctors have been running tests all night, and they believe he will have full use of his legs, after about a week of rehabilitation."

"That's good," Zack commented, but only because it felt like the right thing to do. Freddy's legs would be useless anyway if he never woke up.

"About his other injuries… well, the bones will heal, but they still don't know just how bad the brain trauma has been. But you can go see him; he's in room 202 B… you know, it is said that coma patients can sometimes hear others talking to them. Maybe you should try it?" Without waiting for an answer, she stood up and headed off to some other room, leaving Zack alone and hurting. He stood up, though quite wobbly because he fell asleep in a chair, and waddled his way to Freddy's room.

The person in the bed could not have been Freddy. Zack had to back-step out of the room, check the room number, walk back into the room, check the name on the file attached to the bed, and step back out of the room to check the number again three times.

The boy in the bed was pale as all hell, which wasn't a major concern to Zack seeing as Freddy wasn't exquisitely tan or anything. The boy had both arms in clean white casts, both up past his elbows. The sheets covered his legs but Zack could see lumps underneath from thick bandaging. Freddy's head was wrapped carefully in more bandaging, in a singular strip around his forehead.

He looked skinny and malnourished and… well, like death. It freaked Zack out until he took a few steps closer to the side of the bed and really saw the boy's face. The lips were the same, although a bit more purple since yesterday. His eyes, although closed, looked like Freddy's, in Zack's clueless opinion. The nose was probably the same, too, although Zack had never made a point to memorize the exact contours of the boy's facial features.

The hair was the biggest key. Something about it being held back a bit by the bandaging around Freddy's head reminded him of back when they had the band and Freddy used to wear those awesome goggles. But the blonde tufts themselves were matted and messy, and although Freddy usually kept it a bit neater and added half a bottle of gel, the spiky appearance was unmistakable.

Zack let himself flop into the padded chair conveniently situated next to the bed. He slowly reached for the blonde's hand, planning to entangle his fingers with Freddy, but he hesitated a second before he touched the other boy. Taking a shaky breath, he drew his hand back and clenched it at his side. For a couple of seconds he was at a loss of what to do, but he remembered what that nurse had suggested about talking to the comatose boy. Zack cleared his throat nervously and tried to think of something to say.

"So… um, hi, Freddy," he started, stumbling over exactly what he should or should not say. "I…" Zack looked up at Freddy's face, and suddenly a small dam broke inside him and everything just spilled out of him, like gallons of word vomit. "You need to come back to me, Freddy. You are my best friend and I swear if you leave me I… I can't _do_ this without you."

Zack tried to choke back the cloggy feeling in his throat, indicating an emerging wave of tears. It didn't help any, so he just kept spewing words in a pointless attempt to stave off crying.

"I wish I didn't have to say this stuff to you while you're…" A few tears streamed down his cheeks, and his eyes began to blur as more were on their way. "I'm sorry, Freddy. I am so, _so_ sorry… for everything. I'm sorry for not seeing the car sooner and I'm sorry for not pulling you out of the way. I'm sorry you're stuck here in a goddamn _coma_, and I'm sorry I didn't do anything to help."

He got up and switched his seat choice to the blonde's bed, making sure not to actually touch any part of Freddy in fear of hurting him more.

"I… I'm sorry I can't figure out my feelings, and that I messed up our friendship. I know you wouldn't let me say that if you were conscious, but I know I did. But you… you need to understand; you're all that I have. So you gotta stay with me, alright? You gotta stay-" His voice cracked completely and harsh sobs began racking his entire body. The room felt too hot and too constricting and he felt like he would throw up. Jolting up from the small bed, he dashed from the room, slamming the door behind him, and raced to the nearest bathroom. Not even bothering to close the door all the way after himself, Zack practically tumbled onto the toilet and let loose all that was in his stomach, although that wasn't nearly enough to make the sick feeling in his gut go away. The nasty splashing of his vomit into the toilet water made him feel even worse, and he dry-heaved twice.

Finally giving up on getting rid of the nauseous feeling, he shakily stood, flushed the toilet, and pitifully tried to rinse his mouth out in the tiny bathroom sink. Although he managed to get a few droplets, there was still a strong acidic taste coating his entire mouth and scorching his throat. He exited the restroom, ignoring his sickly image in the small, rusted mirror.

"Looks like you could use this," a deep voice said from next to him. Zack jumped a little, whipping to the side to see a young male nurse leaning against the wall outside of the bathroom. Zack didn't understand what the stranger was talking about until he saw the guy was holding out a water bottle.

"Huh?"

"You got sick, right? Here, take it. The water fountains around here are all warm, anyway." Zack stared at the guy. He was taller than him by a few inches, but just as skinny and narrow-shouldered. He had jet-black hair that fell down to his ears, and had two stripes of bright blue streaked down the bangs. He had a few piercings in his ears and the snakebite ones in his lip, which, on any other day, Zack would find interesting. The guy was good-looking, with electric blue eyes that matched his hair streaks, and tan skin that looked pretty damn natural. If it was any other day, and Zack was any other person, preferably one who would admit he didn't care about gender, he would instantly fall for this guy.

As it was, the guitarist's brain was still mush, so it took him an extra thirty seconds to reach out and take the bottle, slowly opening it. He spared it one last glance, but then quickly downed the entire thing. Crunching the bottle in his fist when done, Zack looked back up at the doctor. Oddly enough, it seemed like the guy had moved closer, but Zack just blamed it on his confused brain.

"Thanks. I, uh… I'm Zack."

"I'm Jade. I saw you earlier, visiting that other boy," Jade suddenly looked irritated, which threw Zack off a bit. He had been all smiles and politeness just a moment ago. "That your boyfriend?" The nurse had his arms crossed, suddenly looking… jealous, almost. Zack scratched nervously at the back of his head. Why was everyone convinced he was into boys? Maybe his pants were girly looking, or his ass was feminine or something?

"Um, no, he's my best friend-"

"Oh, great!" Jade exclaimed. He glanced at Freddy's room, then back at Zack with a full grin. "Well, _he's_ not waking up any time soon. Let's get coffee!" Jade grabbed Zack's arm and dragged him away, not even letting the poor boy process the rude remark this stranger had made.

The next three days went by similarly to that. Jade became completely obsessed with Zack, hanging out with him almost the full twenty-four hours of the day. Whenever he wasn't with Zack, he was following him 'secretly', which creeped the hell out of Zack. The worst was when he went to the bathroom, only to find Jade standing outside the door and reminiscing in the sounds he made when peeing. Usually the guitarist would put an immediate stop to it, and tell this crazy person to back the hell off. But _this_ Zack, who was still in shock and depressed at the same time, just went along with everything and let himself be dragged around.

He once asked Jade why he wasn't off doing 'nurse stuff', but all the boy did was hug Zack ferociously and mutter something about 'screw the sickly, I wanna be with Zack'. The guitarist was in a small pit of denial about the level of obsession Jade was stuck in, and just put it off as the hospital was overstaffed and this boy had nothing else to do, or anyone else to talk to.

Unfortunately, by day four, Zack's head cleared a little and he realized that Jade not only wanted to be near him constantly like a psychotic puppy, but he liked him. Like, _liked_ him, liked him. Zack attempted to avoid him a bit, partly because he, in no way, shape or form returned the pierced boy's feelings, but also because with his brand new stalker, he had almost _zero_ time to be with Freddy alone.

On that forth day of knowing Jade, Zack was sitting on the edge of Freddy's bed, about to finally reach out and take the blonde's hand. For the past few days, when he _did _get time with his friend, he spoke to Freddy, usually about random, unemotional things like trees and movies and candy. He refused to get upset again, but he had slowly been working up the confidence to hold Freddy's hand. His only fear was Freddy waking up with Zack's hand in his and somehow not remembering anything between them, and being freaked out by the affectionate contact. What if Freddy woke up and didn't even remember _Zack_? The doctors had become very optimistic about him waking up soon, and they didn't believe there'd be much brain damage, if any. But Zack still worried, because that's just what he did when it came to Freddy.

Just as he was about to reach Freddy's hand, only a quarter-inch away, the door to the small room banged open and- surprise!- Jade came stomping in. He grabbed Zack's arm and yanked him up and away from Freddy, leading him to the doorway of the room. Zack stared at the crazed doctor, who was glaring back towards Freddy. Zack was about to protest when Jade suddenly grinned evilly in Freddy's direction, quickly turning to Zack. Before the other boy had a chance to move, Jade pressed himself against Zack and smushed him against the doorway, mashing their mouths together in a fierce kiss. Zack's mouth had been open in surprise, and Jade wasted no time in forcing his- apparently pierced- tongue into the other's mouth. Zack placed his hands on Jade's shoulders, attempting to push away the nurse, but failing miserably. Jade may have appeared skinny, but he was stronger than Zack.

Zack closed his eyes, squinting back tears of anguish and nausea, and continued to push pointlessly against Jade.

From an outsider's perspective, it would've looked like Zack actually _wanted_ the kiss, was _enjoying_ it, even. And even though he wasn't, and he wished to hell that this psycho would _get away_, the passing doctors and nurses thought the contrary and simply either ignored or smiled warmly at the 'couple'. Because to them, it looked like Zack and Jade were in love, and couldn't get enough of each other.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what it looked like to a certain blonde boy in a bed not ten feet away, who had groggily woken up a moment ago but immediately became fully awake and aware when the boy of his dreams was tongue-tied with some other guy right before his heartbroken eyes.


	9. A Whole Lot of Tears and a Ninja Chop

**I LIIIIIIVEEEEE.**

**It's kind of been like three months since my last update but I got into a huge writing mood today so TA DAAA.**

**Okay, so I kind of completely didn't proofread this or actually really look over it in any way.**

**Not to say that there are millions of mistakes, because I'm pretty anal (teehee) about grammar and spelling, even _while_ I'm typing. **

**But please let me know if there are any errors of any time. And critiques are always appreciated, especially on this chapter, because... I kind of just kept typing and didn't stop until I was out of words.**

**DISCLAIMER. I don't own School of Rock or the characters. **

**I OWN JADE. And yes, he still exists in this chapter. I know you all hate him. But that's kind of the point of his presence.**

**RATED. For language. I think I even broke out the BS word in here somewhere... perhaps. And there's a word in there that rhymes with smoosh lag. So. Um. Beware, and such.**

**AND YES. There is homosexuality in this. Just like the past eight chapters. Enjoy or go read some other story.**

**FLAMERS. Go be stupid somewhere else.**

**HOMOPHOBES. You too. Go away.**

**AND. This story _will_ be finished, okay? It might take a while between updates, but I pretty much love writing this ridiculous crap, so THIS WILL END. EVENTUALLY. I don't know when. THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER.**

**REVIEWS are enjoyed, but if you choose not to... well it's not like I can really do much about that, yeah?**

**RIGHT THEN.**

**Continue.**

For a guy about the same height and build as Zack, Jade was pretty goddamn strong. Zack kept trying to shove him off by his shoulders, his hips, and even his cheeks, but it was like trying to split two pieces of welded metal with a cotton ball. Zack considered socking him in the ribs, or even kneeing him in the crotch, but a broken sob stopped his thoughts entirely.

It took him a second to figure out _where_ the sob had come from, since Jade wasn't crying, and Zack was pretty damn sure he would've noticed if his own eyes had begun leaking tears.

Then it hit him like a monster truck, and the entirety of his insides froze.

Freddy was awake. Freddy was _awake_. And the first thing he must've seen was Zack being pressed to a doorframe with a whack-job doctor's mouth glued to his own. With a sudden surge of adrenaline, Zack punched Jade's shoulders and launched the creepy man back a few inches. He immediately sidestepped Jade, who tried to re-pin the guitarist to the wall, and half-stumbled to Freddy's bedside.

"Freddy! You're awake! You're okay," Zack said quietly, wrapping his arms around the trembling blonde. As the fact that Freddy was alive and awake and most certainly _not_ _dead_ began to sink in, Zack felt an oncoming tidal wave of tears preparing to tumble down his face. For a split-second, he tried to hold it back, but quickly found it impossible and began bawling like a toddler.

He heard a hefty sigh from somewhere behind him, along with a muttered 'I'll go tell the doctor,' but thought nothing of it and continued to squeeze Freddy as gently as possible and not cry on his face.

"Get off," the blonde murmured roughly, and Zack immediately let go. With some effort and a moment to regain his balance, the brunette heaved himself away from the bed and immediately grabbed a cup of water Jade had given Zack earlier.

"Here, Freddy, drink." Zack held the cup up to Freddy's lips (since Freddy had pretty much no use of his arms right then) and watched as the blonde hesitantly gulped down the much-needed liquid. Zack didn't miss the weak glare Freddy had shot him before drinking, though.

Once the cup was empty, Zack set it down on the bedside table and collapsed into his usual puffy chair. He was about to start on the five thousand things he wanted to say to Freddy, but a doctor and two nurses stalked into the room and immediately ushered him out of the way. Zack pointedly ignored Jade, who was fuming in the doorway after having fetched the medical professionals.

After fifteen agonizing minutes, the doctor and nurses finally left the room, saying that Freddy was stable, his vitals were fine, and overall he seemed like he'd recover perfectly. His arms still needed another month with the casts on, and Freddy would be in a wheelchair for the next two months. He had metal rods inserted into both legs, and although he would be physically able to walk again with only a week of therapy, he would only be allowed to walk for up to an hour a day, and the remaining time would have to be spent in the hospital-issued wheelchair. The amount of time he could walk around would increase by fifteen minutes each week after the first month.

Before he could leave the hospital, they'd run him through a few full-body scans just to make sure that everything was as fine as it looked. But the doctor had told Zack (three times, in fact, because the brunette was too excited and still crying too hard for him to fully pay attention the first two times) that Freddy could go home in a week, because even though both Zack and Freddy were of age and didn't technically need supervision, the doctor knew how teenagers were and didn't want to risk them doing anything stupid too soon.

The second they were out of the room, Zack jammed the chair right up next to his best friend and heaved himself into it enthusiastically. His smile diminished slightly when he saw Freddy pointedly turn his face away from him, but only slightly.

"How- how are you feeling? Does anything hurt?" Zack had to tangle his hands together and grip them tightly on his lap to keep himself from running them all over Freddy's injuries and face. "Jesus, Freddy, they said they weren't sure if you were going to wake up- do you even remember what happened? I mean, I'm sure the doctors told you, but I wasn't listening really so I have no idea-"

"God, Zack, just _shut up_!" Freddy snapped suddenly. Zack's smile melted away completely. "Yes, I know what happened. I _remember_ it, okay? And I heard everything you said when I was… unconscious. I _got_ it, okay, Mooneyham?"

"Freddy… what…"

"And it's _wonderful_ that you found yourself a boyfriend, Zack. Absolutely _fantastic_ that you managed to suddenly be okay with being with a guy," Freddy muttered, voice cracking. "And it's completely perfect," he continued, a few tears streaming down his face, "that... it's not me."

Zack sat there in absolute shock as Freddy began to tremble a little. He took a few extra seconds to realize what the hell Freddy was talking about, and was about to protest and explain everything when another voice spoke up before him.

"Well thanks for your wonderful blessing," Jade butted in sarcastically. "Really, it touches my very soul. But Zack promised to have lunch with me, and- Zack, I only have ten more minutes left of my break, so can we go?" Without waiting for a reply, he wrapped an iron grip around Zack's upper arm and tugged, yanking the guitarist to his feet sharply. Zack began sputtering, trying to pry Jade's fingers from his arm, but failing embarrassingly.

"No- no, Freddy, he's not- we're not… god_damnit_, Jade, let go!" He continued to pull at Jade's hand, but the pierced boy was freaking stubborn. "Freddy, I swear it's not like-"

"Leave, Zack," Freddy muttered, turning his face away. Zack opened his mouth to protest, but Freddy cut him off. "Just go. Please," he whispered miserably. Taking the opportunity, Jade stormed out of the room, still clutching Zack's arm in a vice grip, and slammed the door behind him. Zack continued to struggle, but paused in confusion as Jade stopped in front of one of Freddy's nurses.

"Mr. Jones in room 202b is ready for his MRI now," he said informatively. The nurse glanced between Zack, who still looked hopelessly lost and confused beyond reason, and Jade, who looked like he actually knew what he was talking about. She nodded, gestured to the other nurse who had been assigned to Freddy, and the duo made their way to the blonde's room.

Jade dragged him another four feet before the guitarist got the bright idea to karate chop Jade in the head. It worked, too, as the male nurse quickly whipped around, releasing his death grip on Zack to clutch at the sore spot on his cranium.

"What the hell! Did you just… ninja chop my head?" he asked, dumbfounded. Without replying, Zack whirled around and made a mad dash for Freddy's room, throwing open the door mid-run and tripping over his feet as he entered. With a loud _thunk_ he flopped on the floor, facedown. The nurses, who had been in the middle of getting ready to move Freddy to the room where he'd get an MRI, quickly rushed over to see if Zack was okay.

"Don't- don't take him yet! I have to talk to him!" He swatted away the offered hands of assistance, pushing himself to stand and stumbling over to Freddy's bed. "Please… I need to talk to you," he begged the blonde, knowing very well that he was giving his strongest puppy-dog look. But drastic times called for drastic measures. And Zack knew that Freddy, no matter how pissed off at him he was, could never say no when he broke out the doggie-eyes.

Sure enough, Freddy's little half-frown and completely-not-suppressed annoyed sigh let Zack know that he had won.

"Can we have a few minutes?" he asked the nurses, who hesitantly nodded, probably wanting to get the MRI over with. But they left, closing the door gently behind them. Zack went to sit in the chair next to Freddy, but caught the blonde's vicious glare and chose to stand awkwardly a few feet from the bed instead. "Well?"

"Jade is not my boyfriend," Zack blurted, hoping that that tiny sentence would somehow convince Freddy. By the flat look on his face, though, Zack could see he'd need to say more. "I swear. He's a male nurse here, and ever since he started talking to me outside of the bathroom, he won't stop following me around. He has a huge, obsessive, stalker crush on me."

"Don't bullshit me. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was you and him making out ten feet away." He fidgeted, like he was trying to cross his arms or something, but realized soon that he couldn't. Zack sighed, choking a little on held-back tears.

"Freddy-"

"I heard what you said, you know that? When I was in a coma. I heard you. You'd think that, when there's a really high chance that I could die at any second, or just never wake up, you might snap out of your goddamn denial. I thought you were going to say… I thought you…" Freddy broke off, crying harder and biting his lower lip until it bled. Seeing the blood pool into a small droplet on his lip, Zack moved forwards and poked Freddy's cheek so he'd stop gnawing, using a thumb to smear the blood away.

"I was going to hold your hand, you know," he whispered. "I was so afraid of you waking up and not remembering me, so it took, like, four days for me to finally man up and reach for your hand. I never got to because of, um, an interruption," he continued vaguely, remembering how Jade had torn him away a second before he linked fingers with the drummer. "But I swear I wanted to. Freddy, you are my best friend in the entire world, and you're all I have."

"Yeah, I got that. I already _told _you that I heard what you said."

"I know, but… Freddy, I like you. I like you so much it scares me, because I love you as a friend, and if that turns into something else…" He took a deep breath, sitting down lightly next to the other boy on his bed, pushing on with his words when he saw him open his mouth to protest. "And I know it will, one day. But I almost just lost you… you were almost _gone_, like, for forever. And I don't ever want to risk losing you again, okay? I _can't_ risk it. So all I want to do is wait a little bit, just until we know that, when we do make 'us' official, it will be a forever deal." He stopped his speech, losing confidence when he saw Freddy was still glaring at him.

"You want to _wait_. What if something else like this happens?" He ran his eyes over himself to gesture. "What if I die? What if _you_ die? What if something happens and we never get together because you wanted to _wait_?"

"Don't guilt me into rushing this, Freddy-"

"Oh, wait, wait, you're just feeling guilty _now_?" Freddy raged, and Zack gulped at the pure fury washing over his friend's face. "What, you didn't feel the slightest bit guilty when you made out with some emo douchebag right in front of me, _knowing_ that I have feelings for you?"

"I told you-"

"You didn't feel guilty when I was lying here in a coma, and the best thing you could tell me was that I needed to come back to you so we could be _friends_?"

"Freddy-"

"And don't tell me; you didn't even feel guilty when a goddamn car ran me over right before your eyes, right? You didn't feel the least bit guilty when you _saw_ it coming, _saw_ that it was about to hit me, and didn't say or do anything to help!"

"_Freddy_!" Zack yelled suddenly, actually startling the blonde into momentary silence. "Don't. You. _Dare_. Don't even- how can you even-" He couldn't even spit the words out correctly. Zack took a shuddering breath and tried again. "That was the worst moment in my life. I turned to look back at you and I saw you almost _die_ right before my eyes. And _you _think that I don't feel guilty? I hate myself more every time I see you! Because I _know_, okay? I know-" Zack broke off suddenly, sobbing hard. He turned away from Freddy, crying into his hands and failing at controlling his shivering. "I know that everything that has happened in the past two weeks is my fault, and that if I could just stop worrying about losing you as a friend and admit that I am falling for you, hard, no matter how much I wish I wouldn't…"

He realized exactly two-eighths of a second later exactly what he had just said. Replaying his ramble through his mind, Zack mentally strangled himself when he realized that he had just admitted to feelings he hadn't even known were there.

"Oh," Freddy breathed quietly. Zack closed his eyes, thinking of what to do or say next. Either he could A) play it off as word-vomit and say that he didn't mean it or B) go with it and _do something already_. Choice A would break Freddy's heart, but choice B risked future heartbreak.

Better just risk it than have it happen for certain, right?

So without further embarrassing babbling, Zack twisted his torso to face Freddy, planted a flat palm on either side of the bandaged head, and quickly leaned down. He pressed his lips to Freddy's, not even caring that Freddy tasted like sleep and whatever nutrient mush the nurses had stuffed down his throat earlier.

He felt rather than heard Freddy gasp, and used the lovely opportunity to gently slide his tongue in, prodding Freddy's into moving around as well.

It struck him a few seconds into it that this was the first time he and Freddy were actually making out, tongues and saliva and all, and _holyfreakingchrist_ why hadn't they done this earlier?

Not wanting to break off the kiss but feeling more uncomfortable in his current twisted sitting position, Zack slowly put his weight on both hands and maneuvered himself around until he was straddling Freddy's stomach, not daring to put any weight on the blonde at all. He did, however, begin to gently tangle his fingers in the matted blonde spikes. Zack pulled away abruptly when he heard a pained moan from the boy under him.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No- no, you're fine, I just-" Freddy swallowed hard, looking frustrated. "I want to touch you…" Zack was about to say that he was perfectly cool with that, but then he remembered that Freddy's arms were trapped in plaster casts, weighed down on either side of him. "I can't even hug you or anything," he continued pitifully.

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"But I want to…" And then Freddy started crying again. Zack looked at him unhappily, because the spunkiest, toughest, most badass kid he knew was crying because he couldn't hug. In an attempt to calm him, Zack leaned down and started kissing all over Freddy's face, slowly and carefully lowering his body to rest on Freddy's. The blonde, quickly calming down when he felt Zack pressing his mouth all over the place, turned his head a little to catch the guitarist in another kiss, keeping it tongue-free and sweeter than anything either boy had ever experienced.

And it just made it that much more awesome that Jade chose that moment to walk in, and Zack wasn't sure if it was him or if it was Freddy, but _someone_ grinned evilly into the kiss and let out a few sexual moans.

The following _thud_ that indicated Jade had, indeed, fainted was the icing on the Awesomeosity Cake.


	10. Moving In, Sort Of

**Okay.**

**Okay.**

**I have no excuse for not updating in eight months.**

**Okay.**

**Um. This chapter? Complete nonsense.**

**Also, I was too tired to read it, and just wanted to get this posted, because I feel so bad for not updating this story.**

**Um. I might change this chapter later to make it suck less.**

**This is just here so you know that I'm still alive, and that THIS STORY IS NOT DEAD.**

**Only about two chapters after this. One will be about a month or two in the future, and the other one will be an epilogue. So. Yay.**

**Okay.**

**I am so sorry this chapter is super lame.**

**But I really wanted to just. Before I go to bed. And. Yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own School of Rock or the characters.**

**Warnings: Minor cursing.**

**Reviews are loved. And remind me that I have a story I neglected for almost the term of a pregnancy.**

**I am a horrible person.**

**I hate this chapter.**

**Let me know about any errors, yeah?**

**Okay.**

"Can we _go_ now?" Freddy whined, head flopping back in exasperation. Zack rolled his eyes, continuing to fill out the obnoxiously thick stack of forms on the clipboard a nurse shoved at him. "This is so _boring_!"

"I'm almost done, for the sixth time," Zack answered flatly, flipping to the next form and continuing to jot down Freddy's information. He was seated in yet another boxy white hospital chair, filling out the files needed so Freddy could be released.

The past week had been a bit hectic. While the doctors originally thought Freddy would adapt quickly to therapy and gain use of his legs again quickly, the initial tests where they simply asked him to move his toes and slide his legs around the bed went poorly. Freddy could move his toes and legs, but it hurt and he trembled terribly and twice they had to stop because he started crying from the pain. Apologizing profusely, the doctors reset the times for his healing. He'd have his arm casts on for three months. He'd be in a wheelchair for as long as it took his legs to recover, and Zack flipped a bitch when the doctor on duty sheepishly admitted that they didn't know how long that'd be. A new hole decorated the hospital room wall where Zack's fist of fury decided to take its frustration out.

Instead of setting a determined amount of time for therapy, the doctors decided to send an in-home nurse to the apartment twice a day to help Freddy get around and help him work on movement. Because of their timeline mess-ups, the doctors worked with Freddy's insurance company to get them to cover the in-home nurse completely. Zack wasn't completely pleased, but Freddy was just ecstatic that he'd be able to go to the apartment.

"Come _oooonnnnn_," he moaned, tilting his head from side to side to show his boredom. Zack shot him a warning look, snappily turning the next page over.

"Calm down. I only have two more to fill out."

"But this is so boring!"

Instead of replying, Zack chose to ignore the whining blonde and continued to write down Freddy's new home information. Having no other way to pester the brunette, Freddy took a deep breath and exhaled at Zack's head, sending some of his hair scattering. He repeated the action twice more before Zack flipped all of the papers onto the clipboard, slamming the stack down, and glaring at Freddy. He received a massive grin in return and Zack only huffed half-heartedly before standing and going off to the reception desk, sliding the clipboard to the woman behind it. "Here. Can I take him now?"

She peered at the clipboard through her red-framed glasses. "Did you complete all of the forms?"

"Yep."

"I'll have one of our nurses escort you," she said, glancing up. Zack nodded, turning as a tall male nurse (who did _not_ give off creepy vibes, unlike one particular _other_ male nurse) approached him. "Oh, Hector, good. Can you take this boy and his friend out? Mr. Jones will be leaving now." Hector nodded silently, grabbing the handles of Freddy's wheelchair and pushing him towards the hospital entrance. Zack followed quickly, scooping up the two duffle bags packed with Freddy's things along the way.

It took a good ten minutes and a whole lot of careful maneuvering, but eventually Hector and Zack managed to get Freddy into the back seat and strapped him in securely. Freddy had his casted arms resting on his thighs, legs straightened out diagonally so they didn't crunch into the back of the passenger seat. Zack stuffed one of the duffle bags under Freddy's legs, to cushion them and prop them up. The other one was wedged up to Freddy's side on the seat, to lessen the chances of him tipping over. It was, all in all, a very long and difficult process. But eventually, both Freddy and his luggage were settled, and Zack scooted into the driver's seat excitedly.

They would first have to go to the hotel they both stayed at to get all of Freddy's stuff, and somehow cram it into the car with Freddy taking up half of the backseat. Then Zack would have to stop at the hotel he stayed at during his little freak-out a week and a half ago.

It ended up taking three hours to get to the new apartment, even though it wasn't terribly far and the two hotels were literally two blocks from each other. Not only did it take forever for Zack to get all of their suitcases and instruments, but Freddy started wriggling his hips and whimpered that he had to pee, which took forty minutes in itself. Zack had to drag Freddy from the car to his wheelchair, incredibly careful of every limb on the blonde. And then, some jackass felt the need to use the handicapped stall when they clearly weren't handicapped, and just as Zack was about to suggest waiting, Freddy began to bite at his lower lip and squirmed harder, and Zack ended up leaving the wheelchair outside of one of the normal stalls, dropping Freddy onto the toilet and yanking down the blonde's pants and boxers as quickly as he could, causing the blonde to rock back and forth dangerously on the seat. But Freddy made it, and Zack was very happy when Freddy returned to his seat with an empty bladder and dry jeans.

And Zack was particularly pleased with himself when he thought to take apart one of the soap dispensers, take out the pouch of liquid soap inside, tear one side open, and throw it over the handicap stall. He pushed Freddy out of the bathroom quickly, both laughing madly when they heard a satisfying _splat_ and the jerk inside let out a distressed 'Augh!'.

When they finally pulled into the parking deck for the apartments, Zack was exhausted from moving their luggage and Freddy was antsy from being cramped in the backseat. Eight trips up and down the elevator later, Zack collapsed just inside of the apartment door, glancing around the rather empty home. Freddy was seated across the room, looking around with a scrunched up nose.

"It's so boring in here," he complained, twisting his neck as much as possible to look at the room behind himself. Zack sighed heavily.

"That's because we never bought furniture, remember?"

Freddy's lips quirked downwards. "Oh. Right. I guess you'll have to do that…" he said, clearly disappointed. "I mean, you wouldn't be able to push around a shopping cart _and _me."

Zack settled his head against the wall behind him thoughtfully. "Well… we can look for stuff together on my laptop. And then I can go pick it up from the store. Or they can deliver," he suggested. Freddy's face lit up instantly, and Zack felt his stomach flutter.

"Really? Awesome! We… um, we should probably get started on that. In case you didn't see, we sort of don't have a bed. I mean, beds," he corrected quickly, eyes widening nervously. Zack stared at him, because didn't they cover this before?

Instead of telling Freddy that they'd really only need one bed, Zack clambered to his feet and walked over to the panicking blonde, who was still stuttering as he tried to correct his mistake.

Zack planted his hands on the wheelchair armrests behind Freddy's elbows, leaned down, and kissed the spluttering blonde's mouth. Freddy immediately shut up, tilting his head and sucking Zack's lower lip between his own.

Freddy made a high-pitched whining noise, and Zack immediately pulled back, jerking his hands away. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" he asked quickly, trying to remember if his hands bumped Freddy's arm casts.

"Wha- no! No, just… I keep going to reach for you," Freddy pouted. Zack looked instantly relieved, grinning at the sulking blonde. "Stop smirking at me, Mooneyham, and get on my damn lap."

Zack blinked. "Um, yeah, no. In case you forgot, your legs are kind of injured. I'm not _sitting_ on them."

"My _shins _are injured. Sit on my thighs."

"Your _legs _are injured, and your thighs are part of your legs. I'm not going to-" Freddy cut him off by shooting his head forward, crashing his lips to Zack's, and sinking his teeth into the brunette's lower lip. Zack's breath hitched, and he had to catch himself on the wheelchair armrests again so he wouldn't collapse onto Freddy. When he didn't obey and climb on the blonde, Freddy growled and sunk his teeth further into Zack's poor lip. The brunette began to tremble, and after a minute of desperately trying to hold himself up on wobbly legs, Zack carefully lifted one knee and slipped it onto the chair, next to Freddy's hip. When the blonde didn't show any sign of pain, Zack placed all of his weight on that leg and raised the other one, placing it so he was seated on Freddy's lap, straddling the blonde lightly.

Freddy finally released his lip, turning the kiss into something sweeter, and slipping out his tongue to gently lick at Zack's mouth. The brunette quickly parted his lips, letting Freddy haphazardly stuff his tongue between them.

Admittedly, Zack wished Freddy could use his arms, because this moment would have been perfect if the blonde could wrap his arms around him and squash them together. But instead, Zack ran his hands up and tangled them into the blonde spikes of hair, tugging lightly.

Unfortunately, Zack knew Freddy wouldn't be safe for anything more than making out until he was a little more healed. He flushed just thinking about it, because even if Zack… did _things_ to Freddy, there was still the risk of Freddy moving around too much and hurting himself.

Which is why, just a few minutes into their little session, Zack pulled away, pressing his lips once more to Freddy's before climbing gently off and standing in front of the disappointed blonde.

"Let's look at furniture," Zack said softly, walking around the wheelchair to stand behind it and pushing Freddy into the room that would become their bedroom.

* * *

"We are not getting a waterbed."

"But it would be so cool!"

Zack stared at Freddy blankly. "Dude, you have a serious habit of jumping on beds. You'd pop a waterbed in ten seconds flat."

The blonde scoffed. "In case you haven't noticed, I won't be doing any jumping for a while."

"Your hair will pop it," Zack pointed out seriously, pointing up to the blonde spikes held up by a gallon of super-strong gel.

"Shut up."

"We're getting a regular bed. King size, because you roll around a lot. Oh, look at this one. It's on sale, and it's one of those that has a super thick layer of foam over the springs."

Freddy craned his neck downward to look at the laptop screen on Zack's lap. The picture of the mattress and bed frame set on the website looked nice, although Freddy couldn't care less what kind of mattress or what color frame they got. He would be permanently sharing a bed with Zack, and that was good enough for him.

"Should I order it? They can deliver by six tonight," Zack said, scrolling down to double-check all of the product details. "This is the only thing we'll really need, besides stuff like toilet paper and towels and stuff. We can look for a fridge and other things tomorrow. How about we take a trip to the store, and pick out what we want, and then I'll get them to deliver it all?" he asked, glancing up at the blonde.

"You sure we don't need anything else? All that's in here is a bathroom with nothing but a toilet, a shower, and a sink. We don't have food, or entertainment, or anything like that."

"We'll order something in for lunch and dinner. And we can watch a movie on my laptop if I go to the rental box down the street. And… um, maybe we can watch a movie while we have dinner? Kind of, I mean… sort of like a date?" Zack stared down at his keyboard, face flushing a bit. It shouldn't have been so nerve wracking to say. He knew Freddy liked him, and they kissed [a whole lot during the week Freddy was stuck in the hospital] and they were practically a couple, except they never brought it up and neither boy asked the other out properly.

In fact, it was more like a friends-who-kiss scenario than we're-together-but-we-haven't-verbally-stated-that-yet thing.

"Zack." The brunette cautiously peered up through his dark bangs, giant brown eyes making him look even more like a timid puppy to Freddy. The blonde grinned. "Did you just ask me out?"

"Well, I mean, I just asked if this could be a date, and I-"

"You're such an idiot."

Zack frowned. "What?"

Freddy snickered, leaning over as much as he could and inhaling deeply, blowing out his breath sharply and tousling the very top layer of Zack's hair. Zack smacked his hairs down, swatting in the direction of Freddy to make him stop.

"Yes, Mooneyham. I'll go on a date to the other room of our apartment with you. Now, chop chop! Order the damn bed so we can cuddle." He paused, glancing down at his disabled form. "Or… well, _you _can cuddle on my chest while I just lay there like an awesome starfish."

Zack rolled his eyes, turning to the laptop and ordering the bed, paying a slightly higher price for immediate delivery. He entered his credit card information, and sat back contentedly when the order was placed.

"Okay, they'll be here in… four hours. Do you want to order lunch or something? Or should I go get the movie now?"

Freddy raised an eyebrow. "I can think of something even funner to do."

"That's not a word."

"And it involves us in the empty bedroom with you on my lap again and my tongue down your throat."

"Freddy, we didn't eat lunch yet."

"And if you feel like being naked, then by all means-"

"Freddy! I'm hungry, and we're not doing _stuff_ until you're healed. Or at least, your arms are healed."

"And if you were a _really_ nice boyfriend, you'd pull down _my_ pants and give us both happy endings."

Zack blinked, and although Freddy didn't think he went too far, he still waited a little anxiously for Zack to respond to his blunt statement.

"Did… did you just call me your boyfriend?"

Freddy's nose scrunched. Did he? "Um… yeah? I think I did. Why?" His eyebrows suddenly scrunched downward and his lips pursed. "Am I not your boyfriend?"

Zack had to take a deep breath to stall the butterflies and stave off the head rush he suddenly felt. "I… um… are you?"

"I better be. Or else I'll kick your ass." Freddy's vicious words were absolutely killed by the fact that all four of his limbs were bandaged and he was in a wheelchair. "Um. Well, when I get all this stuff off, _then_ I'll kick your ass."

Zack hastily stood, resting the laptop on the floor, out of the way. "You. You never asked."

"I didn't?" The blonde looked genuinely shocked, like this whole are-we aren't-we thing had long passed. "Oh. Zack, will you go out with me?"

Zack sputtered like an idiot, looking everywhere around the blank room besides the confident blonde before him. "Uh- I- I, uh. Um."

"Is that a yes?"

"Well- I mean, I- uh-"

"That's a yes. Okay, Hendrix, wheel me into the other room and rip off your clothes."

"What!"

Freddy burst into laughter, arms and fingers twitching like he wanted to clutch his stomach or slap his knee or something, and Zack felt his face heat up. He should have known that Freddy was just being a jerk. But instead of getting whiny and walking away like an overdramatic girl, Zack grabbed the wheelchair, whirled it around, and made a beeline for the bedroom. Freddy stopped laughing, tilting his head back to look up at Zack in shock.

"Woah, Zack, what are you doing? I was kidding, man… no pressure on you to do stuff you're not ready for-"

"We are going to sit here and make out and do nothing more and you will be happy or I will drop a superiorly heavy book on your shins." He closed and locked the bedroom door [which made very little sense, since the door to their apartment was locked as well, but whatever] and then swaggered over, sliding onto Freddy's lap as smoothly as possible.

"Well alrighty then," Freddy said breathily, tilting his head forward towards Zack, puffing his lips out expectantly. Zack stared at him for a moment, smiling gently. Freddy was just about to retract his mouth and ask what the problem was, when Zack surged forward and pressed their mouths together lightly.

"My answer is yes," Zack muttered against the blonde's lips.

"Hm?"

"Yes. I'll go out with you," he clarified, and it took a second for it to sink in. But then Freddy's eyes widened, and then they shut, and he pressed forward desperately, so much love behind the kiss that Zack felt his own eyes slip shut and he let himself melt.

Zack pulled away a few minutes later, before they got any tongue action in, because his stomach was seriously growling and he couldn't make out to his full potential on an empty stomach.  
"How about I order pizza? That'll be easy enough to feed you," Zack said softly, pressing his forehead to Freddy's. Blonde and brunette bangs clashed between their touching heads, and it looked rather nice to Zack.

"Mm. And rent _Something Borrowed_."

Zack pulled back. "That's a chick flick."

"Which you have a secret weakness for and I know you're a closet girly-movie crier. I saw your suitcase. _Sleeping in Seattle_ and _Sweet Home Alabama_ are both in there."

"Wouldn't you rather watch a slightly less girly movie?" Zack asked. On a second thought, he added, "And shut up."

"I wanna watch something that'll make you cuddle up against me, and from the way you were after _Penelope_, I feel pretty confident that you'll end up on my lap."

Zack sulked, hating that his best friend knew about his secret obsession with chick flicks. And yes, even if it was the cheeriest movie ever, Zack still cuddled up with the nearest object, and sometimes bawled his eyes out. "Fine." He scrambled off of Freddy, walking over to his suitcase for his wallet and cell phone. "I'll be back in five. Will you be okay?" Freddy nodded.

"Just be quick. I get bored easily, just so you know."

Zack shot him a look. "Yes. I'm aware."

He walked off as Freddy giggled moronically behind him, using a normal pace until he closed the apartment door securely behind himself. Then he sprinted the rest of the way down the stairs, out of the apartment, and down the block where the movie box was. Although Freddy was a big boy and shouldn't be able to do anything destructive in five minutes, this was _Freddy_ and casts or not, he was still a natural wrecking ball. Zack picked out _Something Borrowed_, and then also got _Transformers_ for Freddy. He saw a Target just around the corner, and decided to dart inside, picking up toilet paper, paper towels, blankets and pillows, some snacks, water bottles, cups and plates, and all shower essentials, including bath towels. He grabbed a few other necessary items before paying quickly and running back to the apartment as fast as he could while carrying nine plastic bags and two DVD's.

His heart was thudding from both the run and fear as he opened the apartment door, terrified that something bad happened. He walked cautiously back to the bedroom, glancing inside nervously before sighing in relief.

Freddy had fallen asleep in the exact spot Zack had left him.

While the blonde napped, Zack moved to the small, bare kitchen they had [although it was really only cabinets; the fridge, oven, dishwasher and microwave would be bought tomorrow by the boys] and settled his purchases onto the counter. He tugged his cell phone from his pocket, calling the local pizzeria for a large pie and two bottles of Sprite.

Half an hour later, the buzzer rang, although it took Zack a minute to pinpoint the unfamiliar sound. He glanced around frantically, already having checked his and Freddy's cell phone. But then he realized that it was the apartment buzzer, and he grabbed cash and bolted downstairs.

* * *

Two hours later, Freddy woke up. Zack greeted him with a slice of somewhat-cold pizza and Sprite, and the two sat in their kitchen, Freddy in his wheelchair and Zack on the counter, and ate their late lunch.

Two an a half hours after that, the buzzer rang again, but this time Zack was ready and pressed the button next to the speaker.

"Yes?" he called into the small speaker, releasing the button instantly.

"Furniture delivery for Mr. Mooneyham."

Zack beamed, pressing the button again. "Okay. Be right down!" He shot Freddy an excited glance, heading out the door to let up the furniture men.

An hour after that, their bed was in place, and Zack had thrown all three of his new blankets over the naked mattress, stacking the multiple pillows he had purchased at the head. Nodding in satisfaction, he set his laptop on the foot of the new bed, slipping in _Something Borrowed_. He stacked up most of the pillows on one half of the bed, where Freddy would be able to recline.

Actually getting Freddy onto the bed took a few tries, because maneuvering the other teen was still difficult. But Zack managed, and helped Freddy wriggle up so he was slouching comfortably against the mound of pillows.

He made sure, for the third time, that Freddy didn't have to go to the bathroom, and then shucked his own jeans, choosing to sleep in his shirt and boxer briefs.

"Ooh, nudity!" Freddy exclaimed dramatically, watching as Zack shut the light and crawled in next to his friend.

"Shut up. This is as 'nude' as I'm getting." Zack initially sat next to Freddy against the headboard, pressing play on the movie and preparing for a peaceful night. Except, Freddy was staring at him and it was kind of really distracting. "Can I help you?"

Instead of answering, Freddy waited until Zack looked at him, and then pointedly darted his eyes from the brunette, to his own chest, back to the brunette, and then to his own chest. This continued until Zack sighed loudly, making a big fuss as he abandoned his own pillow for Freddy's chest. He curled up gently, not daring to put too much weight on any part of the blonde, and rested his head on his chest.

He was just getting into the movie when he felt something press softly on his head, and he realized with a swell of butterflies that Freddy kissed his head.

Zack curled further against Freddy, sliding his arms around the narrow stomach.

Yeah. He could spend the rest of his life like this, just like this, and he would die happy.


	11. Don't Give Up Just Yet

__**But! It's almost done! Just one more chapter after this, which will be set a year or two later. And then _bam mofo_. A story that's been going down for over two years is freaking finally almost done. Are people even still reading this? I dunno, but I need to finish it, because I want _all_ of my stories to be complete. Soon. Ish.**

**Whatevs.**

**Warnings: Minor curisng? Maybe? Whatever.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own School of Rock, or the characters, and I also have no medical knowledge. For all I know, getting metal rods in your legs could be an easy process to rehabillitate from. Also, there's use of the word 'retarded' in here, and I really don't like using that in a negative fashion like I did here. Unfortunately, I feel like that's how Freddy and Zack might talk, so it's in here. Take no offense.**

**Or do, whatever. **

**Review if you'd like. Either way, this will have an ending. Eventually.**

**Gogogo.  
**

* * *

_Three Months Later_

Zack and the visiting nurse stared at the blonde, who was currently sitting in his wheelchair in the living room, watching cartoons. The nurse had her coat on, prepared to leave early yet again. She was supposed to come over every other day and help Freddy bathe, go to the bathroom, and anything else he might need to do. She came for six hours a day, and the last hour of each visit was supposed to be rehabilitation and working on Freddy's use of his legs.

But she stood next to Zack, coat and shoes on already and forty-five minutes left of her stay. She'd been leaving early for the past few days.

"I'm sorry, honey, but he's just giving up again," she said softly, watching with sad eyes as Freddy wheeled himself around to fetch his soda from the coffee table. "There's really nothing I can do if he's not willing to try."

And this is why she left early this past week. Freddy had grown sick and tired of the ache in his legs and the way they were too stiff and too weak to move how he wanted, and three days ago he dropped to the floor in the middle of his rehab session and called it quits. Zack tried everything, from persuasion and bribing to firm commandment to downright begging. But Freddy stared up at him with an empty, dull gaze and simply sat there until Zack lifted him back into the wheelchair.

"But… but he's _gotta_ get better, right? I mean, his legs _work_, he's just – just frustrated!" Zack insisted. The nurse sighed.

"I mean, it could just be a temporarily slump. We've been working hard for three months, but it's taken him a while to get used to the rods in his legs. Maybe if we take a day off-"

"We can't!" Zack protested, wringing his hands together nervously. He glanced over to the stove, where his macaroni and cheese was boiling over. He quickly darted across the small kitchen and shut the burner off, staring down at the cooked pasta like it held all the answers. "If we keep trying, we'll eventually make a little progress, and Freddy will be right back on track!"

He heard the nurse step up behind him, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is difficult. I'm going to ask my superior for the day off tomorrow, and maybe having a day for rest will help boost his energy." She gave him one last sad smile before taking her leave. Zack sighed and fixed up the macaroni and cheese, spooning it into two bowls. He looked over at Freddy, who was getting way to used to having a wheelchair.

Zack wanted him out of the damn thing. Why didn't Freddy want to work his way out of the stupid contraption? Did he really want to have to wheel himself around for the rest of his life? What, was the wheelchair going to be present at their college graduation? Their high school reunion?  
Their wedding?

Okay, that made him cringe, because marriage wasn't Zack's thing. But still. And he couldn't play drums. Zack had thought that would be enough motivation to get his legs back to working condition. But when he held up a pair of drumsticks and gestured to the beloved drum set, Freddy just eyeballed it for a second, shrugged, and wheeled himself off to play video games. Zack had stared at the spot he'd just been in for a good ten minutes. Freddy gave up drumming. Freddy _gave up drumming_.

Zack stared over at his best friend, determination seeping into his bones as he stepped into the living room. Dinner could wait. "Freddy."

The blonde glanced over his shoulder, an easy smile on his face. "Oh, hey Zack."

"We need to talk." Zack knew Freddy had an idea of what he meant when the blonde's smile fell and he turned back to the television. Zack walked around to stare down at the other man, purposely blocking the T.V.

"Zack, I really don't feel like-"

"You are not giving up."  
Freddy closed his eyes and groaned. "Zack. I-"

"You are not giving up on your drumming, you are not giving up on your walking, and you are not giving up on _me_." He knew he'd struck a chord when Freddy's eyes squeezed tight and his mouth curled into a frown, like he was trying not to cry.

"I _can't do it_!" Freddy blurted loudly, making Zack jump a little. He waved his hands around wildly, eyes wide and pained. "I can't goddamn _do_ it, Zack! No matter how much I try, or what nurse helps me, I just can't. It hurts, I can't coordinate, I can't even get my knees to bend completely, and I can't put one stupid foot in front of the other! Don't you think I _know_ how much this is destroying my life?" he demanded, tears bubbling at the corners of his eyes and threatening to roll down his cheeks. "Don't you realize how much I hate this? I can't drum, I can't walk, and I can't even hug you without you having to bend down three feet! But I just- I just _can't_," he moaned, burying his face in his palms, shoulders shaking a little. Zack stared down at him, startled by the outburst but inexplicably relieved that Freddy actually still wanted to walk. He wasn't giving up; he was just wallowing in his lack of success.

"Give me your hands."

Freddy didn't look up. "What?"

Zack held out both of his hands, palms up. "Give me your hands." When Freddy didn't cooperate quickly enough, Zack reached out and gently tugged the blonde's fingers away from his face, interlocking their palms tightly. "Look at me, Freddy. You're not doing this for rehab right now. This is just you, and me, okay?" He softly pulled on Freddy's hands. "Come dance with me."

Freddy's face crumpled. "I _can't-_"

"Yes, you can. Come on. You can stand on my feet if you have to," Zack said, smiling. The corners of Freddy's mouth quirked up the tiniest bit.

"Like how little kids stand on their dad's feet at weddings?"

"Yep. Now, come on. Try. For me," Zack pleaded, once again tugging on Freddy's hands. Taking a deep breath and scrunching his eyes closed, Freddy wriggled in his chair, and slid both feet heavily to the floor. He glanced up nervously, and Zack smiled and squeezed his hands. "I got you, drummer boy. Come on." The blonde nodded, and slowly, depending highly on Zack's grip and wincing the whole way, pulled himself up, legs almost completely straight and back only slightly hunched over. Freddy's entire body trembled, and his teeth sunk deeply into his bottom lip, but Zack was beaming. Freddy couldn't give up, not now.

"It- it hurts," he whined, and Zack shook off one of Freddy's hands so he could wrap his arm around the blonde's waist tightly. He allowed Freddy to slump against his chest a little, held up mostly by Zack's arm. Making sure the other man was steady, Zack released his other hand and slipped that arm around him, too, engulfing him in a supportive hug. Freddy's hands clawed to grab onto the brunette's shoulders as he shifted his feet slightly, trying to find a more comfortable stance. Once he stopped fidgeting, Zack gently started swaying them back and forth. Freddy hissed at first, because moving his hips required moving his legs a little, but Zack was patient and soon they were rocking back and forth comfortably.

"See? You got this."

"W-well, it's not like the nurses picked me up and danced with me. They just made me walk while holding their hands and stuff."

Zack smiled softly. "How about we do this, instead? Every day, we'll just… dance for a while, and eventually start moving around the room, and one day we'll waltz all over the apartment."

Freddy snorted a giggle. "We can't waltz, dude. We can barely even dance, remember?"

"Well, then we'll _try_ to waltz. Maybe when your legs aren't so retarded, we can take some lessons," he teased, and Freddy unclenched one hand to smack him upside the head. But the blonde was grinning, genuinely smiling for the first time in weeks.

"Maybe when your face isn't so retarded, we can go out in public together without any embarrassment." Not wanting to smack at the injured blonde, Zack settled for leaning over and licking a sloppy, slobbery stripe up his cheek. Freddy recoiled immediately, letting his other hand go to wipe dramatically at it. "Ugh, _gross_! Great, now I have your disgusting germs all over me!"

"Not _all_ over you."

Freddy smirked. "Wanna change that?"

"Don't you have homework to do? I know your online courses require homework; I checked the website." Freddy scowled.

"Geez, you're just like a mom. It's all, _use your legs_ and _do your homework_," he mocked in a nasally voice, rolling his eyes.

"I know, what nerve I have. Telling you to do things you're supposed to do," Zack agreed, pulling away slightly. "Now, let's get you back into your chair and get your damn homework done so you don't flunk out." He was about to lower the blonde back into the wheelchair, when Freddy placed both hands on his chest.

"Wait. Um. Wait," he protested quietly, goofy smile faded and eyes glued to Zack's shirt. "I, uh. Can we- can we keep doing this? For a little, and then I'll do my homework. I just- I like this," he admitted, cheeks flushing a little. Zack's eyes widened in surprise. Just a while ago, Freddy was ready to give up standing, walking, dancing, the whole lot. But now…

Well, why would Zack give up the chance to dance with him some more? "Sure," he said softly, smiling and slipping his arms back around Freddy's waist. They started teetering back and forth again, and Zack beamed when he felt Freddy's feet contributing to the motion.

"I. I won't give up. For you, okay? I won't give up," Freddy muttered, eyes closed and forehead pressed to Zack's. The brunette felt his chest swell up and he bit back a smile, although the corners of his mouth curved up. Instead of answering with praise, or a cheesy comment, or even an _I love you_, he leaned forward, nosed Freddy's face up, and pressed their mouths together softly, conveying everything he could say.

And they kept dancing.


End file.
